8/20/2014 - Fox Business Interview With Paul Elio

[Ekh]

I would very much like to have seen him be more inclusive in the groups that the Elio appeals to. Class warfare is getting to be all the rage, and if he pigeon holes the Elio as a "rich man's toy", he's going to alienate an awful lot of potential customers! I physically cringed when he went there, and then didn't emphasize the fact that there are buyers from ALL walks of life who are putting their $$$ down to reserve an early spot in line! At nearly 55 I may not be a young person, but I, and I think most of the other folks on this forum, are FAR from being the rich folk that we were portrayed as.

Other than that, I think he did OK. I did cringe a bit at the "F" word reference, but I'm hoping he was indicating that those worries are nearly behind him. After all, emphasizing a negative that HUGE, is a PR no-no, unless you are in the process of slaying that dragon, and are therefore trying to put that negative to bed. I tend to worry more about what issues they DON'T address, as apposed to the ones they do.

Unless Mr. Elio is a complete idiot (and I don't think he is), he struck me as someone who is coming down the home stretch..... I sure hope I'm right!!!

I agree with most of this, but acknowledging the elephant in the room -- funding -- gains far more points for honesty than it loses for bringing up the fact that a problem exists. What I did like in his handling of this issue was that he seemed genuinely up-beat, relieved, and open about it, which leads me to believe he actually IS convinced the funding is going to be there.

After umpteen years in PR, I've never seen a client hurt by acknowledging reality. I had a VP at GE who called me into his office. "I thought I'd told you not to put such-and-such in "Engineering News." I nearly jumped out of the plane when I read it, and you are lucky to have a job."

However, when he got three letters from employees saying how much they admired his courage (their word) in acknowledging the issue, he called me back. I told him that it had been an inadvertent error, and how it had occurred, and that I was changing our proofing system to avoid repetitions. He told me he looked like a hero, and maybe he shouldn't have reacted the way he did...

Accordingly (not "so") I think Paul did well with this issue and actually gained far more than he risked by acknowledging it -- especially putting it as about past tense.

I thought the "F" word quip was actually funny, but you can't please all the people all the time. Humor in PR is ALWAYS risky for that reason. He should probably have left it out.

 

[Elio Amazed]

GaPawn,
This is what I think happened there.
Mr. Elio now considers anyone who can lay their hands on $100 to $1000 free and clear cash in a two year stretch "affluent".
I don't think he's ever said rich, but I think he has said affluent a few times.
There are still loads of people in this country with fair to middlin' jobs that can't get ahead no matter how hard they try.
A lot of people still live with constant debt and therefore have almost zip for expendable cash.
Many people use their existing vehicle for the down payment on their next vehicle.
And their next. And their next... Or they lease.
Keep in mind that there can be a huge difference between one's income and the quality of life one achieves (or doesn't) with that income.
So... What used to be the old middle class (even the middle class on a very tight budget along with those frugal folks with lower incomes) seems to be the new affluent.

The Elio can be potentially beneficial for anyone and everyone who even remotely likes the concept, savings, style and price.
I agree that pigeon holin' makes no sense and makes bad PR.

 

[GaPawn]

I believe you are correct, and the term "rich" was never used. Unfortunately what one person *says*, is not always what another will *hear*.... Every time I see that "older/more affluent" label thrown out there, it gives ME the impression that this is something that only appeals to "decrepit, miserly, rich" people.

Quite obviously, at a price point of $6800, this is NOT who the Elio was designed for!!! I just wish Mr. Elio would start leaving that "older/affluent" bit out of his interviews, and emphasize the "affordability" aspect more. Without a doubt, "cheap" is not the right word, that was obvious in this interview. I'd like to see him come up with a list of "positive" words that are appealing to the more "frugal" and/or "$$$ challenged" (durn near EVERYONE in this economy) folks out there. After all, I think saving $$$ has almost universal appeal, as long as the item presented is perceived as a good value!

It seems to me that Mr. Elio is nearing the stage where a few focus groups may be of benefit.....

 

[AriLea]

but this was borderline promotional in tone and delivery on Fox's part..

They have always seemed like that to me. I think Fox has kind of adopted the Elio as a pet interest. They definitely like it.

 

[AriLea]

In general, why are Smart Cars not selling well?

The idea of such a small car and still getting only around 40mpg? The length of the vehicle makes people feel insecure. Frankly it looks like a powered wheel chair to me, not that that bothers me personally. People expect to pay less in match to it's size so it doesn't look like a fair deal to some.
Still, if it were to cost less and it got better mileage I would get one. I seriously have considered getting a used one some day and cutting it down to sporting height and single occupant. The MPG's would more than double if done right. (But I'm mpg-ocd :-) )

 

[RMClubfitter]

Power of suggestion is a powerful thing. JMHO. I think that because of price and economy alone, that the Elio will appeal to the younger less affluent markets automatically. I think the challenge here is to get the middle class and affluent markets to buy into the "and car" theory. Appealing to "The green crowd" by the reduced carbon footprint of the Elio I think is an important strategy. PE saying that, so far the older more affluent crowd, is who makes up most of the reservation list would play into (JMHO) that marketing strategy. Selling the "and car" theory is very important (IMO) to the success of Elio Motors. Was PE's comments a well thought out strategic comment to foster the idea that buying an Elio is a sign of affluence. I don't know the answer to that but I think it plays that way.

 

[AriLea]

Have you noticed how many 'interviewees' start with "Well,...

Well, I have.

I can't imagine doing the same set of answers for years and years. He's maybe a bit war weary, but holding up much better than anyone I know. I think the 'F' may have been an attempt to get a little variation in there. He's likely super boord with the standard lines, even though he requires them himself.

 

[Ty]

It's odd but a couple guys from my shop do that same thing.
Me: Are you guys working on the project?
Scott: So, I'm working on the project right now.
Me: Did you get the new figures in there?
Scott: So, the figures ran late so I'm using figures from last year.

 

[AriLea]

I'm inclined to agree with Snick, except for one thing. There may be several distinct groups of buyers for the Elio.
1. The "and" people, which includes virtually everybody on this forum (we're the ones who can plunk down up to a grand on spec).
2. The single moms or men holding a dismal job with a long commute; basically, blue collar folks without huge numbers of kids to haul around.
3. Young people, from high school seniors through college or a bit past that. They will try new things, need cars, and are short on money.
4. Retirees who can get by with one small car for every day and rent a van if they need to haul furniture or something.
I don't like Paul discarding these other markets in favor of the "ands." It's just that the "ands" are the ones who have voted with their wallets. But the concept of the car is really to help out the working class, and that should not be abandoned in favor of an image of the Elio as a toy for the well-heeled.

Well, there always needs to be a easy sell, quick grab statement. That's one of them. In promoting your product, you have about 3 seconds to make your point, and that one fits. After that the mind can open to other thoughts. The key is opening the mind of the listener. EM has created statements to fit each of the groups above(most of them). Anyway the list above is a good start on the market segments. Still in the first years there are several more important groups.
5. Motorcycle want-a-be, where a 2 wheel motorcycle isn't acceptable for various reasons. That is so common it may be a bigger group than actual current MC owners, esp if we include three wheel enthusiasts.
6. Uniqueness, character appeal. This was more of a motivator than a group. Still it was important to about 30% of the people I engaged with while researching smartcar buyers a few years ago. Kind of like how we choose pets, we just like what we like. Just fits our sense of play. This falls off strongly when the car is easy to spot every 5 minutes of road-time.
7. Lets think of car-club owners(us?). These people want to do some vacationing and social events that leverage the unique features of the car. In the case of Elio, wonderful driving character and low cost vacation travel, iconic self-image on the road. As this group grows, it becomes a movement. I'm not at all sure what would trim or cap the size or longevity of this population. But I suspect it would grow more rapidly as more participate while the car can be obtained by joiners.

If you want to promote the Elio among your peers, coin one of those 3 second statements that fit the desires of group you are facing. That one first statement, is what will stick in the mind and then get promoted by word of mouth. I suppose the true talent of a salesman is being able to identify the group you are talking to.

 

[Ty]

Well, there always needs to be a easy sell, quick grab statement. That's one of them. In promoting your product, you have about 3 seconds to make your point, and that one fits. After that the mind can open to other thoughts. The key is opening the mind of the listener. EM has created statements to fit each of the groups above(most of them). Anyway the list above is a good start on the market segments. Still in the first years there are several more important groups.
5. Motorcycle want-a-be, where a 2 wheel motorcycle isn't unacceptable for various reasons. That is so common it may be a bigger group than actual current MC owners, esp if we include three wheel enthusiasts.
6. Uniqueness, character appeal. This was more of a motivator than a group. Still it was important to about 30% of the people I engaged with while researching smartcar buyers a few years ago. Kind of like how we choose pets, we just like what we like. Just fits our sense of play. This falls off strongly when the car is easy to spot every 5 minutes of road-time.
7. Lets think of car-club owners(us?). These people want to do some vacationing and social events that leverage the unique features of the car. In the case of Elio, wonderful driving character and low cost vacation travel, iconic self-image on the road. As this group grows, it becomes a movement. I'm not at all sure what would trim or cap the size or longevity of this population. But I suspect it would grow more rapidly as more participate while the car can be obtained by joiners.

If you want to promote the Elio among your peers, coin one of those 3 second statements that fit the desires of group you are facing. That one first statement, is what will stick in the mind and then get promoted by word of mouth. I suppose the true talent of a salesman is being able to identify the group you are talking to.

Uniqueness must be quite a motivator for some. Have you ever seen a Juke or a Cube? Holy craptastic design, batman!