American culture at its best

A long-time car enthusiast from Apple Valley, Minn., Gjavenis enjoys taking his 1965 Chevelle 300 Deluxe to car shows and showing it off. But, he adds, he doesn't purchase big-ticket items on the fly. Instead, he uses the shows to scout out new products and gather information for future purchases.

"If there's two engine companies selling a part that I'm interested in, and I went to a show and met one company's rep in person, I'd lean more toward purchasing a product from that company," Gjavenis says. "When you're putting things together, you're looking for the best combination of parts that will work for you. And you can see the parts you're interested in at a show, and get other people's input on different combinations, too."

Scott Stutler, national sales manager for DynoMax, says consumers attend auto shows primarily for entertainment purposes. And, he adds, most manufacturers don't even bring products to the show; they use the venue primarily to raise consumer awareness of their product and to make sure their name is out in front of as many people as possible.

"Sure, the manufacturers set up displays at these shows, but consumers are mainly looking to gather information from you," he says. "They want to get ideas about their own vehicles, their own products and make contact with you. We look at the show as more of an advertising function in that we're trying to make an impression on consumers and influence their purchasing habits down the road."

Brian Anderson, a resident of Kathleen, Ga., and owner of a 1964 Rambler Classic, is a big fan of auto shows. He says he's made some purchases at past shows, but agrees that he mainly is interested in gathering information about new products that manufacturers have on display at the shows.

"You can see a lot of things that you didn't know were out there when you go to a show," Anderson says. "Plus, you can establish a point of contact with the manufacturers' reps, which sometimes helps you get more personalized service when you are ready to make a purchase."

Anderson admits, however, that he has made some purchases from shows — but more often than not the purchases were not large. "You know, I've bought tools or machinery stuff at shows. One or two of the purchases were big-ticket items, but most of it was a lot smaller. I'm really there to gather information."

But does all that information-gathering lead to more pricey purchases? Stutler says yes. In fact, Dynomax tracks purchases by handing out consumer rebates at shows and then counting how many of them are redeemed within 30 days. Stutler reports that 10 percent of the more than 200 coupons he passed out at this past year's Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Ky. were cashed in at participating O'Reilly stores. Which is a pretty good response rate, he says, considering that many car enthusiasts don't have a particular timeframe in mind when they are window-shopping for larger purchases.

"It's difficult to track consumer purchasing patterns," Stutler adds. "The best thing we can do is use mail-in rebates or coupons to track the exposure to our brand. And face it — you've got to accept that you won't be selling mufflers at the shows you attend. You're going to sell it later that week, or in another month, or even in another year."

But auto shows can affect more than just the attendees. Anderson says tat he often shares the information he gathers from the shows with his friends, who in turn tell their friends about the products, generating new sales by word-of-mouth exposure.

"It's not just a direct sell for the manufacturer," he says. "Shows have a big effect on everyone, especially if you go back home and tell your buddies who couldn't attend the show about everything you saw."

And when you come right down to it, sharing information — or a good time — with your buddies is the very essence of an auto show.

"People go to shows to have a good time, see their friends, see new products and discover new vendors," says Gjavenis. "It's all about the atmosphere — American culture at its best."