Lifetime value of car buyers

In Autoweek there is an article titled “Automakers chase young buyers with concerts, go-karts”, details the campaigns of Audi, Honda, Kia and BMW that are all targeting the 15 – mid 20s. The campaigns include sponsored concert tours, online events, go-kart racing and lots of other things that are thought to appeal to the young. I suspect they will also appeal to a large group of the old as well!

This quote, from the vice president of marketing at BMW of North America, will amuse and annoy a lot of older consumers "A lot of car companies are courting baby boomers." One of the biggest complaints I hear is that car companies appear to ignore their largest private customer base (the 50+).

Charlie Hughes, president of automotive consultancy Brand Rules says, auto companies are trying to promote their brands so that young people will consider them as they approach key vehicle-buying years.
"It's like a game of chess," Hughes says. "If your competition does it, you feel like you have to jump into it, too."

It would be fascinating to see how auto companies apportion their promotion budget across the age spectrum. Anybody with some numbers please get in contact.