How to Change Buying Cars Forever (original #3)

2013 Dodge Dart launch at Detroit Auto Show, Jan 2012

Earlier this month, Chrysler's Dodge began another leg of its campaign for their new Dart. The car debuted in January of last year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit with dismal results.  According to  Businessweek, the Dodge Dart campaign has had a slow start with low sales in the past year.  Dodge is now offering a Dodge Dart Registry, which works similar to a gift registry.  I first learned about the campaign by seeing a television commercial.

According to Realtime Report, Exhaust Notes, and Dodge's registry website, interested parties can use crowdfunding through RocketHub's platform, signing up for the registry on Dodge Dart's registry website.  Registrants then inform their friends and relatives through various social media outlets, such as Facebook, YouTube,  and Twitter, or in person, asking them to sponsor (pay for) specific  parts for their car.  Sponsors can then go to Dodge's website to sponsor (pay for) a car part for their favorite relative or friend.

Registries listed on the Dodge Dart Registry web site

Dodge is energizing the groundswell and  getting potential consumers involved by giving them the opportunity to create their own Dodge Darts and notify prospective sponsors of their car parts by social media.  This also keeps the people talking as registrants post updates on their fundraising.  According to Forbes, there are good and bad points to the campaign. It is certainly an inventive, creative way to market a car.  But the sponsor campaigns last only 90 days and there are fees for using the crowdfunding service.  At the end of the sponsor campaigns, registrants are mailed a check that they can use however they choose, even if it's not on a car.  It will be interesting to see how this campaign unfolds.  It appears a little like Dodge didn't think through the campaign before implementing it, but maybe they were just aiming at creating buzz for Chrysler, and that is working.

Dodge Dart Registry is getting traffic, according to the Google Trends report below, so hopefully the new registry campaign will keep people talking and help increase sales of Dodge Darts.  That depends on whether Dodge listened to the groundswell in the beginning and created a car people want.

Google Trends Report on the Dodge Dart Registry

People have posted YouTube videos asking for sponsors (money) for their cars.  I found the video below on social mention, which shows there is social media traffic about the Dodge Dart registry.

Social mention report of Dodge Dart Registry

Are you in the market for a car?  Maybe you should look into the Dodge Dart.  And if you need help funding it, you can sign up at the Doge Dart Registry and go to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to ask your friends and family--and people you don't even know--for help funding it.