Lincoln Mercury wanted to tell young urban professionals about the new Mercury Milan. So the company hit the streets, according to AutoWeek. It outfitted teams of twenty- and thirtysomethings in matching shirts and slacks in six big cities. They surprised patrons in coffee shops, restaurants and salons by paying for beverages, appetizers and haircuts. And while they did those favors, they talked about the Milan mid-sized sedan. “We wanted to create buzz and excitement,” Laura Soave Stoppa, marketing manager for the Milan, told Automotive News. Consumers “could talk to someone about the car without the pressure of a dealer showroom.” Other analysts, however, was skeptical of these tactics. “Who’s going to turn down having their coffee or haircut paid for?” Brown says. But he adds: “Doing some unconventional guerrilla marketing lends itself better to a brand going after a younger, edgier person, (such as) Scion, Mazda or VW.” Meanwhile, Newsday feels Lincoln’s Zephyr marketing strategy will be an uphill battle. The company is targeting “people 35 to 40 years old who normally wouldn’t visit a Lincoln showroom for any reason but to help their grandparents up the stairs.”
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