Automotive News - September 21, 2020 - Best Practices Supplement - S40

40 | SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
D C H H O N D A O F T E M E C U L A , T E M E C U L A , C A L I F.

Making merry engages community
Santa photo event
boosts dealership
awareness, loyalty

DCH Honda of Temecula in California
hosts a free Santa photo-op event for
several weekends each holiday
season, building dealership recognition and goodwill with community
members.

Published in Automotive News Dec. 30, 2019

Ken Wysocky

autonews@crain.com

anta Claus is coming to town all over
the country during this most wonderful time of the year. But the man
with the bag arrives early for an extended stay at DCH Honda of Temecula for a
special event that's become a holiday tradition for many area families.
Since 2010, the California dealership, part of
DCH Auto Group, owned by Lithia Motors
Inc., has celebrated the holiday season by
hosting a pictures-with-Santa event. The
brainchild of General Manager Ken Colson,
the event offers residents (not just customers)
a chance to have the dealership's professional onstaff photographer take a
family photo with the jolly
old elf. Unlike most Santa
photo ops held at malls
and the like, these photos
are free.
"We're always looking
for innovative ways to enColson: "Very
gage the community and
successful" run
bring people into the dealership," Colson said of the event's genesis.
"We want to expose them [to] our energy on
the showroom floor and show them how approachable our people are."
The 10-year run has "been very successful,"
he added. "We have some kids that first came
in when they were young and now are teenagers."

Holiday keepsake
Families can use their own cameras to take
pictures, too. The dealership emails a digital
photo to participants, who also receive their
photo as a postcard thanking them for visiting
the dealership.
On average, more than 200 families a year
stop in to have their photos taken with St.
Nick. The dealership - which sells an average
of 210 new and 137 used vehicles a month -
converts part of the showroom into a photo
studio, replete with Christmas trees, a cozy
holiday backdrop and a handsome chair for
the big man.

Attendance ebbs and flows. "Sometimes
there's a line of people stretching across the
showroom floor," he said. "And other times it's
so empty that Santa goes outside to chat with
customers out on the lot."
The event exposes visitors to three other adjacent DCH stores selling Kia, Acura, Chrysler,
Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat vehicles. DCH
owns 29 stores in California, Massachusetts,
New Jersey and New York.

Starring role

Families who visit DCH Honda of Temecula in
November and December can have their
picture taken with Santa Claus. On average,
more than 200 families go each year.

"Some people are customers and others we
know aren't customers because we see car
brands parked outside that we don't sell," Colson said.

Building goodwill
The event undoubtedly bolsters the dealership's brand recognition and helps build customer loyalty. And though it's not tracked for
this, Colson said he believes it eventually
translates into car sales. But he also feels
strongly that it's inappropriate to use it as a
sales opportunity.
"If someone approaches one of our team
members about a buying a car, then by golly,
we'll sell them a vehicle," Colson told Automotive News. "But that's not the reason we're doing it. We just want to deliver a unique experience."
The event is held for four or five hours on
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for about five
weekends every November and December,
ending the weekend before Christmas.

One thing really makes the event special: a
Santa with star power.
After the 2010 event, Colson's team agreed it
was worth doing again. But everyone also felt
it required a more authentic Santa.
An employee then heard about Terry
Larned. "When he came in to meet us, he had
candy canes in hand," Colson said. "Even his
laugh was a classic, 'Ho-ho-ho.' When I first
saw him, I just knew he was the guy."
Larned is a convincing Santa. Children can
tug on his beard all they want because it's real;
he starts growing it in June. (He plays Santa at
other venues, too.) Moreover, Larned always
is in the holiday spirit; his home is decorated
for Christmas year-round, Colson said.
"At an event like this, you want to deliver the
magic of Christmas to a child," Colson said.
"And a lot of that depends on the quality and
caliber of your Santa. Terry is a perfect fit."
The dealership spends $3,000 to $4,000 a
year to put on the event; that pays for items
such as the prints sent to families, an occasional new photo backdrop to keep things
fresh and Santa's hourly wages. To promote
the event, the dealership uses social media,
email blasts and a large digital billboard on
the nearby, highly traveled I-15.
The investment pays off.
"My commitment to this event never wavers," Colson said. "After so many years, people have come to expect it. It's so worthwhile
when you see the excitement on kids' faces
when they come into the showroom.
"We'll continue to do it," he added. "At least
for as long as Terry is available." a

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