For those dealers out there that use television advertising to promote their dealership, there is a new study out by digital giant ad agency Avenue A/Razorfish. One of the articles in the study, written by Jeremy Lockhorn, director, emerging media, Seattle is called “Shooting on a Dime.” In the article, Lockhorn makes the point that although television commercials can cost millions to produce, the winner of the 2007 Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest was produced for $12.79.

The point he makes is that the cost of video production is falling fast and with the Internet, distribution can be free. Video cameras off the shelf at a big box store shoot in the highest quality HD and editing can be done on your laptop. This means that you don’t have to spend a ton to produce a video that tells your dealership’s story. He points to a video clip produced by Hitachi, which features Mr. T, and has intentionally low production values. The humor of the spot is meant to connect with today’s online video community and embrace that audience. Check the clip out at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tW1S2tsxVHg.

Unlike television advertising, the Internet is not limited to thirty-second spots. You can make them any length you want and put your video on YouTube. The longer version videos will allow you to tell a deeper story about your dealership and really create an image for your dealership in the mind of local consumers.

This opens the door for a dealership to make their own videos, humorous or not, that can be distributed on the Web, placed on local media Websites, or on your own dealership Website. Like all creative endeavors, it also opens the door for some pretty bad productions and could probably hurt your dealership. Beware of whether or not any productions you might do will spin the dealership in a positive way and get some outside opinions on whether you should put them out there or not.

Another inexpensive, but possible great idea is to run a contest for local video makers in your market. Offer them a decent prize for the person that creates the best video about your dealership. Run the best ones on your Website and advertise both the contest and the results on your local television or radio station. You never know what creative gems might come out of such a contest. You might even find your next television commercial.