Final Post

Growing up in the digital age makes it clear that social media is ever-present but this blogging assignment has given me a deeper perspective on the matter. Blogging has allowed me to analyze various different platforms and really understand what it means to create a successful social media presence in today’s day and age.

I look forward to seeing the success social media will continue to bring to the automotive industry in the future. The automotive world and social media are alike in the fact that they are both constantly evolving so whether it be the evolution of current social media mediums or the creation of new social platforms, there is a bright future ahead for the auto industry and its followers.

I have learned a great deal through blogging this semester. The most enjoyable blogs to write were the posts about Snapchat at the car show in Lenox and Petit Le Mans in Braselton. Those two topics were exciting because I actually got to attend both events and experience the use of social media to reach fans first hand. This blogging assignment has allowed me the opportunity to share my passions with others as well as increase my own knowledge on a topic that I love. 

Just Another Pinterest Fantasy

When most people think of Pinterest they think of recipes, clothing, DIY projects, decorating, etc. Pinterest categories were originally broader and they peaked the interest of primarily females. In the last couple of years there has been a shift to more specific categories and a wider user demographic. The automotive category is one of the main categories that draws me to the site. The variety and quantity of posts about cars are extensive and impressive.

The use of Pinterest as a social channel for automobiles can benefit specific brands or dealers and their customers as well as every day users who are not in the market for a vehicle. The incredible images can be used to market vehicles or just give users and opportunity to connect with their favorite cars and brands and share them with friends.

My favorite automobiles are supercars and Pinterest allows me to obtain fantastic images of some of my favorite vehicles. Here are a few of the top picks from my personal boards:

As you can see, Pinterest allows photographers to maximize creativity in order to peak the interest of its users. Since images are so prominent in social media, Pinterest excels at grabbing users’ attention and keeping their focus with numerous and unique photos and videos. It has been neat to see the success and popularity for the automotive category and I look forward to exploring new categories as they continue to create more.

Jay Leno's Garage

I have previously mentioned Jay Leno before in my post about popular automotive YouTube channels. Jay Leno is a very well-known individual in the automotive industry. He gained his popularity from hosting NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and has since then acquired a great deal of attention from his extremely large and diverse collection of automobiles. He owns about 130 cars and 90 motorcycles give or take, and he houses his vehicles in a 101,000 square foot garage.

 There is an account on Twitter named @LenosGarage that he uses to communicate with fans and keep them updated on current car news. Various sources of social media are shared on his Twitter page. Jay Leno posts video clips and previews on YouTube that he shares on Twitter that advertise his show as well as upcoming episodes. He also makes many vines and shares them on Twitter. Video is a very popular way to communicate with consumers so Leno is using YouTube and Vine to gain followers and increase fan interaction and attentiveness. Leno retweets other well-known automotive accounts such as Car & Driver and he posts about recent restoration projects and current automotive news.

Jay Leno’s Garage is a fun Twitter account that gives fans a variety of information to look at. Many people express interest in Jay Leno’s cars and this account is a neat way for people to learn more and stay as up-to-date as possible with his fantastic collection.

Cars of Instagram

Why is Instagram so popular? With the ever-increasing presence of social media there is content out there that will appeal to just about every interest and hobby. Instagram happens to be moving in the right direction because we are very visual people and it provides a setting where people can share both photos and videos that appeal to specific demographics’ interests.  Instagram has become a way for individuals to express their artistic side with the world and relate to people through common interests.

There are various automotive Instagram accounts that attract a great deal of attention from social media users.

The last account pictured above is unique in the way it goes about posting photos. @amazingcars247 is not taking the pictures they post, instead the followers are. By using a specific hashtag users can “submit” photos to be considered for posting. This is a great way to keep followers engaged and active because they want to try and get their work noticed. A user’s attempt in getting his or her photo posted on the @amazingars247 page is a way for that user to be noticed by a bigger following… 2.8 million followers to be exact. This specific page has done a great job at keeping user interaction high because the benefit is mutually beneficial for both parties.

Instagram’s places emphasis is on quality not quantity in order to catch attention from users and drive engagement. These automotive accounts are all competing for attention and popularity so they focus on trying to have the best content out of all of their competitors. The images are so visually appealing to users because each account is maximizing their efforts to produce astounding photos of eccentric vehicles. Instagram provides a platform where users can have a pleasurable and unique experience with fewer limitations compared to other social networking mediums. They can connect with specific accounts to enhance their curiosity, knowledge, and interests about the automotive world and the artistic assets that are an influential aspect of the industry. 

Not All Was Lost On Saturday

Last week I talked about my favorite series of car racing, the Tudor United Sportscar Championship. This past weekend happened to be the final race of the season and while most people were focused completely on the UGA vs. Alabama game, I was splitting my time evenly between the race and the football game. 

While I was walking around the track Saturday morning, I couldn’t help but observe all of the different ways social media was being used to connect with fans. When I first arrived at the track, the announcer was talking about the International Motorsports Association (IMSA) application that users can download to get live streaming, live scoring, driver and team information, and much more. He was announcing that if you show him the downloaded IMSA app you could get a free hat. I thought this was a great way to encourage fans to get more involved in the race.

It is always interesting to get on Twitter during the race. There are live tweets from IMSA Racing, the Tudor United Sportscar Championship, Road Atlanta, and individual race teams. This is extremely helpful when something like a wreck happens because Twitter is constantly being updated so you can figure out what’s going on quickly.  

Social media is a great way for individual race teams to interact with their fans. Many fans attend these races with a favorite team they are rooting for. Social media allows them to be constantly updated on their specific team by allowing them to see updated posts about placement, good or bad news related to the team, occasional pictures and videos, and anything else the team feels like sharing with fans. When fans feel like they are connected with the race teams, it encourages them to have loyalty to the sport, which in this case is the brand. Social media plays a huge role in the automotive racing industry and fans would not be as involved or engaged in the sport if it weren’t for applications and platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Although the weather was terrible and the football game was a huge disappointment, Saturday was an eventful day to say the least.

The Future Of Racing

When you hear the words, “car race,” what comes to mind? I would assume NASCAR is your first thought or perhaps Formula One racing. For me, when I hear “car racing,” I think of the Tudor United Sportscar Championship. It is a much smaller series than what most people are familiar with. If you have ever heard of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, many of the cars from the Tudor series race at the 24 Hours.

This kind of racing is nothing like NASCAR. The tracks are nowhere close to round and there are four different series of cars racing simultaneously. They are competing with the cars in their class while they strategically maneuver through cars belonging to the other three classes. 

The final race of the season, Petit Le Mans, takes place at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA (about 40 miles northwest of Athens). Although it is a decent sized race, many people who are unfamiliar with the Tudor United Sportscar Championship are surprised to find out this race takes place fairly close.

Road Atlanta uses extensive social media marketing to advertise the race to current fans as well as prospective fans. Social media is a great resource for Road Atlanta because their demographic is so wide, especially when it comes to Petit Le Mans. Attendees consist of males and females of all ages and many people coming from out of state and even from out of the country.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are Road Atlanta’s main social media platforms. Although there is a lot of overlap in content among the three sites, their posts are still quite valuable to fans. They consistently post extremely relevant race information as well as exciting facts, videos, and updates in order to keep fan engagement high.

There are many other events held at Road Atlanta throughout the year but Petit Le Mans is by far the biggest. Regular posts regarding the race began about three months ago. It is obvious that their time and effort has gone into making social media a place where fans can go to build excitement for the race.

Road Atlanta team members have traveled to different areas throughout Georgia to promote the race and raffle off tickets. They used all three social platforms to inform fans of the different locations they would be raffling off tickets at. Some of these locations included a UGA football game and a car show at Perimeter Mall. The use of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allowed fans to know where Road Atlanta representatives would be so they could try and win tickets.

Road Atlanta has had success with social media because they post content that captures the intended audience. Along with this, they are very responsive to followers. They retweet and favorite many fans’ tweets and they comment back on Facebook and Instagram. This makes fans feel very connected to the brand. Not only has their success led to increased fan engagement, it has also allowed them to reach new fans and inform more people about the wonderful sport.

Snapchat & Exotics

One of my favorite activities to do is attend car shows. Out of all the car shows I have been to, Caffeine and Exotics is one of my top picks. This event is held at Lenox Square Mall on the third Sunday of every month. Around 300 owners of high end and exotic automobiles register for the event and it’s a blast walking around and seeing the variety of cars that are present.

Caffeine and Exotics is utilizing current social media tactics to capture its audience on a regular basis. Popular social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) are used frequently to keep fans updated and engaged. Snapchat is a newer social media platform for Caffeine and Exotics, but it has been great because they post a “My Story” during the show every month. It is fun to look at the story if you attended the show in order to recap some of the best cars and even see some you may have accidentally missed. Snapchat is also great for those who could not make it out to the show. The ability to view countless photos and videos allows people to really feel like they are there in the moment and it gives them a chance to view many cars that were a part of the show.

It seems like Snapchat has been a success for Caffeine and Exotics. They occasionally post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. for people to follow the Snapchat account but I think it would be really beneficial if they advertised it more. It would also be effective if they place signs in noticeable locations throughout the show that contain the Caffeine and Exoitcs “Snaptag” (individual QR code for adding Snapchat accounts). This would make it extremely easy for people to pull out their phones and add the account while they are attending the show.

Snapchat provides a way to gain a follower’s full attention because of the self-destruct nature. Because of this, another way I think Caffeine and Exotics could enhance their marketing efforts through the use of Snapchat is to advertise their sponsors in a few pictures throughout the “My Story”. Since follower’s will be fully engaged in what they are watching, they will be sure to see advertisements for sponsors.