Appeal to Vainty
Why do people buy the cars that they do? Do they buy for safety? Reliability? Or is it the look of the car?
Well that’s what the research from CarGurus.com says. According to the study, car manufacturers should have more pictures and videos on their site. The study came to this conclusion based on the fact that 62% of the pages viewed on their website were of car photos and videos.
Langley Steinart, founder and CEO of CarGurus.com, had this to say:
“Cars are a very emotional and expensive purchase. Automakers have to connect with consumers emotionally.”
Steinart may be right, but the research seems to be a little iffy. Who’s to say whether the people looking at CarGurus.com are actual shoppers looking for more info on the car they want or are these people just car enthusiasts? This same point was brought up by Ian Beavis, VP-marketing of Kia Motors America.
So is it the look of the car or is it what’s inside that counts? This sort of sounds like a dating question? Are you going out with him/her for his/her looks or brain? To which the common response is, “if you say looks don’t matter, than you’re a liar.”
But to stongly appeal to vanity ain’t the answer either. Looks may bring you in, but it’s what’s inside that makes you stay. That goes for cars and relationships.