Mitsubishi Pouring Incentives by the Tankful with "Gas Comes Standard"

[Ming]

Mitsubishi Pouring Incentives by the Tankful
Karl Greenberg
www.brandweek.com



NEW YORK -- Mitsubishi is launching a one-month customer incentive that offers a twist on 'liquid assets.'

The program, “Gas comes Standard,” which is not a play on Chrysler's divisional tagline “Inspiration comes standard” (though the same global agency did the work), dangles a year's worth of free gasoline to buyers of 2005 model-year Mitsubishi vehicles.

The effort, via BBDO, LA, attacking both high-cost gasoline as well as traditional incentives, runs through the end of October.

After purchasing a new 2005 model-year Mitsubishi vehicle, the customer will receive in the mail pre-paid debit cards, totaling from $1,500 to $2,500, depending on the vehicle. The cards then can be used for gasoline at most major oil companies' retail locations.

EVP of sales and marketing Dave Schembri said the offer says as much about gas prices as incentives. “We wanted to offer consumers something that is not only clearly valuable but also very relevant,” he said.

He said ads will use an icon in the shape of a gasoline pump, bearing the Mitsubishi brand symbol: a red triple diamond. TV will also show running footage of 2005 vehicles, and there will also be a full-page ad in Friday's USA Today, and Monday in sports sections. “We will have ads for national, dealer group and dealer level,” said Schembri.

So far this year, the company, still staggering after a horrific fall in 2004, has seen sales drop 29.5% through August, though thanks to the new Eclipse, August sales are only off 1.6% versus August 2004. But in that month last year, sales were off 57.5%.

Article Source: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/rec..._id=1001178992

AND

Deal fuels interest in Mitsubishi
Edward Lapham
Automotive News / September 26, 2005

For everyone who wondered what kind of incentive would be the next big thing, Mitsubishi’s Dave Schembri knew the “Gas Comes Standard” promotion was a winner when he had to let auto dealers start the program a day early on Thursday, Sept. 22. That's because customers found out about the promotion and began lining up outside dealerships before they opened.

Considering everything that’s happened in the last couple of years, it must have been surreal for some Mitsubishi dealers to a have a crowd of customers, let alone a friendly crowd who wanted to buy something and wasn’t there just to throw bricks and complain about being upside down on their loans.

https://www.autonews.com/buyArchives.cms?newsId=13417

[saturnsteve]

Wow they'll do anything to get rid of those god awful fugly cars!!

[FourOnTheFloor]

Good idea Midstusabexshiezoshi. Oops, spelling mistake, I mean Mitsubishi.
Its a fresh new idea and I like it.
Only problem is you can only go to select gas station and have to carry the cards.

[Whirling_Dervish]

I think VW has been experimenting with this out west for some time, before Mitsu.

[mbukukanyau]

How much are you loosing these days when you drive a Mitsubishi off the lot? $10K?

[griswold44]

Desperation at it's worst.

[kool_zx3]

Originally Posted by Mags

You sell Saturns don't you?

MF

Haha Own3d

[TiburonJT]

Originally Posted by Mags

You sell Saturns don't you?

MF

[griswold44]

Yeah that was funny.

[ibechip]

Am I the only one that saw the commercial and thought, wow these guys should give their PR department a bonus? This is the most inventive incentive I've ever heard about, it's better than saying "You'll get $1500 off"

[dindak]

Mitsu is a sinking ship.

That said, GM isn't much better.

[oudidntkn0w]

Originally Posted by dindak

Mitsu is a sinking ship.

That said, GM isn't much better.

GM is NOTHING like mitsucrappy. Currently mitsu only has like a 1% market share in the US and is losing more money in a day than GM loses in a month. Not to be an a'hole or anything just sayin your analogy isnt really too good.

Mitsu wont be around for MY07.

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

Originally Posted by FourOnTheFloor

Good idea Midstusabexshiezoshi. Oops, spelling mistake, I mean Mitsubishi.
Its a fresh new idea and I like it.
Only problem is you can only go to select gas station and have to carry the cards.

GM was giving something like $2500 of free gas or 2500 litres or the like on cars up here for several months.

[plane]

Originally Posted by kool_zx3

Haha Own3d

Nobody with a zx3 in their screen name should be throwing rocks about ugly cars.
Nobody.

[steve333]

Mitsubishi is still in business?