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BodyShop Business Blog

June 2009 - Posts

  • Megabus.com: Enemy Number One?

    Have you heard of this Megabus.com? It's the new low-cost daily express bus service in the U.S. I heard on the radio the other day that it has grown by 150 to 200 percent over the last year! I guess this is more evidence that people are changing their driving habits and that the miles we've lost recently due to high gas prices may truly never come back.

    The company recently invested in 96 new touring double-decker buses to meet expanding customer demand. Apparently these are no ordinary buses. They each seat 81 passengers (which means, of course, that each bus has the potential to remove 81 automobiles from the highway!), are 13.1 feet high, offer panoramic views and are equipped with comfortable reclining seats with safety belts, reading lamps, power outlets and free WiFi. Also, the double-decker is 25 times more efficient than a single-passenger car per passenger per mile.

     


  • Under the Watchful Eye

    Remember when I wrote about seeing a GEICO banner being dragged by a plane while driving down I-77 north to Cleveland? It had the GEICO caveman on it, but at first glance I thought it was Bob Marley. Well, yesterday I had a second sighting, only this time it was GEICO's newest commercial star: the stack of money with eyeballs.

    I'll be honest, the googly-eyed money stack cracks me up. The cavemen don't, but still they are memorable.

    So let's take something from this. What's the typical message shops try to convey in their advertisements? "Give us the keys, we'll take care of everything." But maybe humor is a better way to go. Not that car accidents are funny, but if you could come up with a humorous or at least memorable character or idea to promote your brand, wouldn't that stick in consumers' heads more? Even a jingle. Heck, I still can't get that "gimme some of that fillet-o-fish" song from the McDonald's commercial featuring the talking mounted fish out of my head. Advertising, especially on TV, is expensive, so you might as well come up with something that's unforgettable.

     


  • Spot Repair

    Seen in a very bad part of downtown Cleveland, Ohio yesterday: a shabby yellow van with handwritten letters all over it (and I mean, in every square inch available on both sides of the van) advertising "spot repairs" for vehicles.

About the Author

Jason Stahl has 14 years of experience as an editor, the last two serving as editor of BodyShop Business. He currently serves as an advisor to the Paint, Body and Equipment Specialists Committee of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association and is a gold pin member of the Collision Industry Conference. Jason, who hails from Cleveland, Ohio, earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from John Carroll University in 1994 and started his career in journalism at a weekly newspaper, doing everything from delivering newspapers to selling advertising space to writing articles. In 1999, he broke into trade publishing with a five-year stint at Advanstar Communications. In his spare time, Jason enjoys playing golf and spending time with his two children.

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