Mark Rechtin
Automotive News — August 16, 2010 – 12:01 am ET
LOS ANGELES — About 20,000 customers have signed up for the Lexus Advisory Board, an initiative launched in spring to survey Lexus owners about the brand and its products.
Lexus is still getting the feel for the research tool, (lexusadvisoryboard.com). So far one questionnaire focused on owners’ interaction with social media and another involved their relationships with technology.
Upcoming surveys will affect product plans, says Deborah Senior, Lexus corporate manager of marketing strategy and communications.
Having just turned 20, and with an aging boomer owner base, Lexus is battling to hold its sales lead over Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Customer feedback may help.
In building its survey base, Lexus wanted a broad range of demographics, psychographics and vehicle ownership. New members will be added as new vehicles are launched, Senior says.
“This is a great way of listening to customers,” she says. Lexus has dangled the carrot of one $500 cash card and two $250 cash cards as monthly prizes for participants.
Of course, some people say there can be too much market research. After all, Giorgio Armani doesn’t ask what kind of suit a customer wants next time around.
Senior doesn’t entirely agree: “We can use this information in combination with information from other resources to develop future plans. Everything from products to the customer’s relationship with the dealer to the ownership experience to how we communicate with them.”
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