A vital lesson learned - from Land Rover!

Who would have thought that Land Rover could change its image so drastically in just one month? Only Alex Reid, the winner of Celebrity Big Brother, has managed a greater popularity u-turn, going from zero to hero and winning the hearts of the nation in the process. Now it seems Land Rover has pulled off the impossible PR initiative, but did they see it coming?

Love them or hate them, the 4x4, or the ‘Chelsea Tractor’ as they have come to be known, has gained a lot of bad press over the years. The carbon foot- print factor has ensured the hybrid is fast becoming the vehicle of choice, with many of us turning to smaller, more economical forms of transport. Until, that is, Britain suffered its third successive winter of bad weather and horrendous snow conditions that brought this country to its knees.

As a confirmed 4x4 driver, I was invited to an ‘off road’ experience by my local Land Rover dealership two weeks ago. On arriving I enquired where all the stock was that would normally be on the forecourt. The sales representative explained that at this time of the year they would normally have 30 plus vehicles in stock, but now they have only 3. The whole UK has gone 4x4 mad. That dusting (!) of snow we had after Christmas - and at BlackChilli Towers we had over 35 cm - prompted the consumer to make the decision to buy a 4x4 and never get caught out again (see above photograph).

Now the scourge of the highway, with its carbon footprint the size of a small Caribbean island and the need to pull a small fuel trailer behind it, is clearly the vehicle of choice. Even Alistair Darling’s £400 road tax doesn’t seem like a high price to pay for the freedom of the road in a blizzard.

Six to twelve months ago, tumbling prices of ‘Chelsea Tractors’ left owners reeling, but now prices of used Land Rovers are increasing to the point where my Land Rover Defender is now worth exactly what I paid for it in February 2007.

Is there a lesson to be learned here? Yes - Land Rover is giving the customer exactly what they want. Admittedly, there has been a bit of divine intervention from the weather gods, however, the fortunes of many manufacturers of 4x4s will see a resurgence in popularity over the coming months.

What can your business learn from this? Firstly, you never know what is around the corner. Secondly, give the customer what they want by keeping an eye on current trends and issues that will affect buying cycles. Thirdly, keep in touch with your consumer, so if trends do change, you are perfectly positioned to provide the right service or product at the right time regardless of price. Like my local Land Rover dealer, who on a hiding to nothing six to twelve months ago pushed on with their marketing and profile raising, never losing the faith only to be rewarded when the snow came. Vroom, vroom!!