It’s a common misconception that drivers must be over 25 in order to rent a car; this age requirement is based on insurance regulations, not state or federal law. Hertz, after deciding that younger drivers are a lucrative opportunity, is making a major play for those over age 17 with the Hertz Connect program. (Hertz’s main competitor, Zip Car, limits rentals to those 21 and over, and requires a monthly member’s fee.)
Hertz Connect — a pay-by-the-hour car rental service — is designed with younger drivers in mind, including the ability to book online, offering eco-friendly models such as the Toyota Prius, and equipping the cars with iPod/MP3 player connectivity.
As part of the social media-heavy campaign, “influentials” or those who are active on at least six different social sites, send daily messages to all of their friends and contacts about the program. “We find students tend to only need cars for errands or weekend getaways,” says Stav Vaisman of Fame Media, which is handling the marketing and promotional efforts.
Fame Media is equally targeting MySpace and Facebook users with branded fan pages. “MySpace still has 100 million active users. No one is talking about [the site] because Facebook has 500 million,” says Vaisman. Although he isn’t disavowing Twitter, Vaisman says it’s not as effective as other social sites, noting just 6% of Twitter users account for 95% of its tweets.
The effort also incorporates traditional marketing techniques such as distributing branded pencils and t-shirts at select campuses. Vaisman admits his biggest challenge is awareness. “No one believes me when I tell [an 18-year-old] he can rent a car and he just calls me a liar. It’s difficult getting them to change their mindset.”
Hertz is also reaching out to college administrators and parents, via campus outreach groups such as Campus Moms. These adult-oriented messages promote cost-savings and eco-friendly benefits of using the program, including the ability to reduce car congestion and parking issues.
Sources: Fame Media, Stav Vaisman, Chairman, 776 Grand Ave., Ridgefield, NJ 07657; 201-969-2250; stav@famemedia.com; www.famemedia.com.
Hertz, Mike Senackerib, CMO, 225 Brae Blvd., Park Ridge, NJ 07656; 201-307-2000; msenackerib@hertz.com; www.hertz.com
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