Glaswegian graffiti artist puts love back into VW showrooms

Posted by Simon Dodd, CEO, RLA Group

Let’s be honest, the day you drive a new car out of the showroom is pretty good one. The shiny–ness, the smell of the interior, the smiling face of the sales consultant and that little bit of hesitation as you get used to the controls.

But who the heck looks forward to going back and getting it serviced? No more red carpet treatment, no more friendly sales consultant – suddenly you’ve become job number 153 of the week. PS: here’s your bill for £266.

No wonder that once they’ve driven out of the showroom most cars never see it again. Instead, it’s the independent repairer around the corner who’ll do it for less money. That’s the problem – servicing has become a commodity.

Where did the love go?

More than that, if you’re the dealer or the manufacturer – where did the money go? Because these days, they aren’t making the margins on new sales.

(Reformed) Glasgow graffiti artist Bernie Reid found the love by reminding us of the emotions that surround our relationship with our car.

And it worked – for every £1 spent on the programme by VW, a whopping £77 of business came back to VW dealers.