Bear with me.  This is really a bit of a rambling rant.  But I’ll feel better to have said it. The stream of "this is what you need to do for me" stories in the media seems endless. This is particularly true of stories surrounding the automotive industry. The term bailout fatigue is getting bandied around a fair bit, but I personally am suffering more from bailout coverage fatigue. More than that, I am getting tired of the disproportionate number of negative stories compared to positive ones in general media.

Yes, it is ugly out there. There is no shortage of bad news stories to be printed and broadcast as Canada adjusts to a one-two punch of economic downturn and significant structural change. Unfortunately, there does seem to be a distinct shortage of good news stories in the media, despite the fact that they do exist. They just don’t seem to be getting reported. Not enough, anyway. The relentless beating of the recession drum in the media only serves to fuel the negativity, and in some cases create a perception that is considerably worse than the reality. 

And this fuels the fire. I don’t know the exact Canadian figure, but the latest number I’ve heard on the U.S. economy is that 70 percent of all economic activity is consumer spending. That is remarkable, but also clearly demonstrates the risk of scaring the pants off the individual consumer with a media picture that is painted with a palette of nothing but black and grey.

As you’ll see in Mary Hughes’ story in this issue, "Just how bad is the credit crunch?", there are both positive and optimistic voices to be heard among Canada’s dealers. Gerry Malloy’s report on NADA identifies additional optimistic themes amid the turmoil. Unfortunately, the general media do not always have the same perspective on what goes on in the trenches as more specialized media, Canadian auto dealer included.
 
In that context, I was quite happy to chat with Doug Leggat when he phoned to tell me about a contest they were running at Leggat Pontiac Buick Cadillac Ltd in Hamilton.
 
The contest itself, called Hands of Hope, involves selecting 10 students who will be given a chance to put their hands on a vehicle. The student who keeps his/her hand on longest, wins the car. (A detailed report on the contest by the Hamilton Spectator is available at www.thespec.com/article/507715, I won’t repeat all the details here.  Take the time to give it a read, and if you want to know more, call Doug Leggat. I know he would love nothing more than to have Hands of Hope repeated in other communities across Canada.)

What caught my interest about the initiative are the selection criteria being used to determine the pool of ten contestants. Students from local schools were invited to submit an email describing contributions they have made to their communities. Shawn Alam, one of Leggat’s pre-owned managers, describes it thus: "We have been blessed with a great year in sales, despite the negative press and economic hardships, thanks to a great community and loyal customers. We really wanted to display our gratitude in a unique way. We thought who better to help, than deserving students in need, students that have been giving their time and effort to help others through volunteering or contributing to their school?"

Being judged based on volunteering for various organizations, starting a beneficial program, or helping others in times of need just seems to strike the right note at a time when the collective media picture of so much related to the automotive industry is negative. It’s the antithesis of a hand-out, and seemed like a nice story at a time when they are relatively few and far between.

Canada’s car dealers have always occupied key positions in the communities they serve. In many towns across the country, dealerships are the leading employer, and leading corporate donor. As Annette Sykora, outgoing NADA chairman said in her New Orleans address, "You simply cannot replace the value we add to our communities with our local investments and our contributions to charitable and community causes."

Hear, hear.  

I’m sure many of you are putting a renewed focus on your own community contributions, at a time when many other sources of community support are under pressure and at risk. Please share your stories; with local media; with national media; with us here at Canadian auto dealer.

And Doug, thanks for the call.

< Prev		Next >