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What the Heck Happened at Price Tower? The Doenges Ford F-150 Platinum Price Tower Promotion Recap

July 12, 2009 by  

“Debate is Good for the Soul”

As promised I’m going to provide you with a detailed account of the Price Tower “Drop Event” we staged Friday night July 10th 2009. However it may not be posted until in the morning due to the volume of feedback that continues to pour in.

The Community support and enthusiasm was real strong; over 2,500+ men, women and children showed up.

The feedback and debate on the merits of this event [pro and con] has been lively,spirited and welcome.

* I plan to publish every comment [pro and con] that we have received in this blog/column/ website www.bradyourcarguy.com, as well as all the comments and feedback from  Facebook, Myspace, Google, the Bartlesville Enterprise Newspaper, e-mail and phone calls.

  • There have been a few rumors pop-up that we will dispel and answer.
  • If you have any additional comments please post them below.

Sincerely

Brad Doenges

P.S. The last Big Debate is pictured below…do you remember this one?


Popularity: 100% [?]

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Filed Under: Brad's General Automotive, Car Buying Tips, Car Reviews, Recent Blog Posts, Top Ten Lists
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Comments

  • Really_Bartlesville?

    Is this town really full of people who thought there was actually going to be a truck dropped from a landmark like Price Tower? I’m amazed that people are so foolish. Anyone who turned out to see an actual truck dropped deserves the let down they got. Gullible and naive doesn’t even begin to describe these people. How could any rational adult have thought that this promotion was actually going to include a truck being dropped from the tower? I don’t know what else to say. It’s baffling.

  • interesting

    It will be interesting to see how the comments that were deleted on the Facebook page are “restored” and published as mentioned about. From what I know about Facebook, once you delete them, they are gone. I did see a screenshot though of someone who has them all before they were deleted.

    This is about to get every interesting.

  • Marketing_Fail

    Really? Your defense is now to call people stupid for believing you were going to do this? Not a good strategy.

    I don’t think any rational person truly believed we were going to see a truck fall. However, the gap between what was expected and what actually happened was too great. Doenges must now recognize this. This was a fantastic example of viral marketing and using social media, BUT what actually occurred was too underwhelming. That is what is upsetting people.

    I’ve tried to give Price Tower the benefit of the doubt and I am glad for the exposure, however I am beginning to wonder if we paid too dearly for a little “free publicity” for our landmark. I have yet to see a credible article / blog post / comment that was favorable to the event.

    In fact the only posts I see in defense of Doenges are calling people stupid for showing up and expecting something remarkable (like what was promised in the “news”).

    This will be a great case study for a maketing program…great job at building expectations, horrible actual execution.

  • Jtoast

    It amazes me that a company doing business in an industry with a reputation for dishonesty would not even try to be above board with their advertising and promotions.

    Mild exaggerations, fine…creative talking points…fine..but to just flat out lie to an entire community?…thats crossing the line.

    Did I really think you were going to drop a truck? I did until I got there and saw that the crowd was being allowed way too close to the tower for safety. Once I realized it was’t going to happen, the following thoughts went through my mind:

    1) My daughter( 8 ) is going to be very disappointed as she was really looking forward to seeing it fall.

    2) I am so sick and tired of car dealers lying to consumers in the hopes of a car deal (of course we have that exact car in stock…come on by…oh dang, you missed it by 5 minutes, it just sold….but take a look at this one thats the same except for color, options, make and model…)

    3) There is no chance in hell I will ever buy a car from the dealership who was responsible for this colossal waste of my time.

  • Don Wood

    I’ll be interested how many people actually leave their name posting comments. In all fairness I will begin by saying that having as much info about the Price Tower ( I did much of the resto work to it for the hotel ) and also large scale events ( I have worked in the concert industry for 20+ years), I was not one to believe an ACTUAL Ford 150PU was going to drop from that building. The amount of engineering just to pull the stunt off would’ve been way too cost prohibitive to do for a regional dealership, not to even mention the cost of insurance for the event. Let’s not take into consideration getting the approval AND permitting from the City of Bartlesville…things you would probably never considered. I’ll go out on a limb and say it say’s alot about B-ville to assume that such an eye-catching spectacle would even take place here but more oft than not, people like to place this humble town of 35,000 alot higher up on the pole than it really is.
    There was a large buzz when this was announced and people where not happy that such would happen from our beloved and historic Price Tower. Now there is the buzz because it didn’t really happen. Personally, I think it’s pretty darn funny. Let’s put it into perspective. Would you have believed it if the HOT Street Party had also been rumoured to have a surprise guest later that evening. Maybe even Micheal Jackson? Bets are you would have shown up to just to see what the catch was. So I ask, what’s the difference really?
    Bad advertising some say? REALLY? In my line of work as a musician, there is no such thing. There is an old saying as well; “Bad press is better than Good press which is certainly better than no press at all”. Good or Bad, Doenges has now associated himself with an event that will go down in B-ville history. Some want to tar and feather him. When P.T.Barnum duped his patrons, day after day after year after year with fakes, tall tales and unbelievable spectacles, we made him a national icon in the entertainment business. He also was a wiz at great marketing and advertising campaigns, no matter how far- fetched. If anything, Doenges did something on par with this great legend.
    People got hurt I hear? From trying to get balloons with money in them? Are people seriously that greedy to trample over one another or their children for a couple of bucks? Well, in the real world, YES. But here in B-ville we hold ourselves a little higher up the pole, remember? So I’m going to assume this didn’t really happen either. ( swallows hard….)
    The last one I hear is…’I got out in the heat…”. Well, it IS July and it HAS been really hot. If that was the issue, you could have waited and watched it on the news. SURELY someone would have video of the event had it really happened.
    Hands down, I would have loved to see a truck smash from the tower ( an older junked out inoperable one preferably) but I knew in all reality it PROBABLY wasn’t going to happen. I would have attended it to just see what was really going to happen, but I was busy helping to set up for the H.O.T party a block over…so I missed it. But I wanted to be there.
    My opinion is this was a pretty good ‘stunt’. If you fell for the ‘misleading’ advertising then you aren’t living in 2009. C’mon, tell me you believe everything you hear and read in advertising? I RARELY do. But then again, I like watching “Pitchmen”. I wonder what Billy Mays would think of this?

  • Bobby

    Are you only hearing/reading about what happened?

    Judge for yourself.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE1DeiHIm7Q

  • Marketing_Fail

    Again, a rather luke-warm defense that depends on calling people “stupid” for expecting something that could live up to the hype.

    This was not a stunt or a “light-hearted” joke…this was a “hoax” at best, most definately a “scam” and maybe even “fraud” (but what does one expect from a used car dealer)

    It AMAZES me that the only defense offered is that those that braved the 100+ temp were stupid and should have known better. This argument is NOT making things better and those perpetrating it should create a more convincing talking point.

    All we expected was for the event to live up to the hype. They might as well got us all there and yelled “PSYCHE!!!”

  • didyouhearthat?

    Did Brad or anyone from the company say anyone was stupid? I can’t recall any official comments of that nature. There was nothing of that nature, Dealerships already have the reputation of lieng and being decietful. Lie they did not, deciet maybe, depends on your definition. This dosent mean the company is full of liars and bad people. I know and have known MANY people that have and still do work there. I dont know any of them to be liars. Does a joke or a trick you play on somebody define who you are? I like how EE is regulating its comments, of all the people you would think the press would allow all comments. At least Brad will be posting all, even though most will probably not be in his favor. That shows more integrity then the newspaper at least.

  • Diane Roth

    I fully believed a truck was going to go off the roof at Price Tower. It was suppose to be a stunt. This kind of stunt is really done quite often in movies with a few tricks involved. There is no reason to think this was not going to happen.
    It should not have been an ad.
    More than anything it is obvious that a majority of the “positive” comments posted in the paper and other places are fakes. This is really the part that makes me the most upset. Not one of the twenty or more peopIe I have talked to at Braums, The Food Pyramid, or The Mall has had anything good to say about this.
    Look you guys goofed big time. I think a real and full aplolgy is necessary. I don’t think you are bad people, nor that Doenges is a bad place to buy cars. If you really want to make amends – do something thrilling at Price Tower – hire a good magician or something.

  • Marketing_Fail

    No, I don’t believe Doenges has addressed anyone’s complaints/criticisms in any way (officially). Look at the EE and other places, the ONLY defense has been “you shouldn’t have fallen for it” or “If you fell for the ‘misleading’ advertising then you aren’t living in 2009. C’mon, tell me you believe everything you hear and read in advertising?”. In other words, if you believed you would see something that matched the hype, you are stupid.

    You say they didn’t lie? see “Chris Oldroyd, director of marketing and advertising at Doenges, said the truck will drop approximately 190 feet.” in the EE.

    We only wanted for the actual event to live up to the expectation.

  • Marketing_Fail

    Someone has started a Doenges Ford Sucks group now… http://bit.ly/SqmtN

  • Chris

    A few thoughts on the “event”

    1. Some people probably came thinking it was really going to happen. Some people came thinking there was a catch to it but expecting at least a good show. Either way, after arriving, almost NOBODY thought it was going to be a real drop since there was no equipment to do the necessary lifting and the area was not set up for it. People just stayed around for what was PROMISED to be a fun and entertaining show. Almost NOBODY thought it was either fun or entertaining.

    2. The balloons were a monumentally bad idea. The crowd was huge and even if people did not want to participate they still had mean greedy people climbing over them. My daughter was standing far off to the side away from the crowd and not even trying to get balloons. Still one came near her and an older boy came and shoved her out of the way to get to it. Plus, I have spoken to several people who got balloons and no person got more than $1 (a dollar is just pathetic).

    3. A banner is not fun and entertaining (which is what was promised). Most people don’t consider 2000 people fighting for $1000 in small bills in 100 degree heat to be fun or entertaining either. The person above was correct when he posted about the gap between expectations and reality. Most everyone expected SOMETHING interesting. What they got was an indication that Doenges does not respect their community.

    4. $4500 off of a truck is nothing. Consumers hear dumb advertisements like this every day. I am quite certain that the “price drop” is a gimmick comprised of factory incentives that don’t cost Doenges a cent in the first place. This “event” had the feeling of a grocery store buying air time during the Super Bowl so that they can advertise that milk is 10 cents off (and not even bothering to think up a witty commercial).

    5. Here is an idea of what could have been done. Print up a few thousand “entry forms” (enough for everyone) and drop them from the same location as the balloons. Have everyone fill them out (limit one per person) and put them in a bin to draw for a new F150. Then Doenges could really say they “dropped an F150 from the Price Tower” and the payoff would have been good enough that people would not have been as upset. Maybe you could have drawn a few extra names for small money prizes or gift certificates.

    6. Some marketing people think there is no such thing as bad publicity. They are wrong. Several years ago I had a bad experience trying to buy a car from Doenges. I walked away from the sale then and had not been back. However, a couple of years ago I bought a used Ford elsewhere and I have taken it to Doenges for service. Now Doenges will no longer get even my service business. If the opinions I have hear and read in the last 3 days are any indication, Doenges has done their business a great disservice.

  • iheartbville

    Sooo…Mr. Doenges…Are we hiding? collecting p.o.’ed comments for rebuttal? (that will take a while) Preparing an apology? Where are you? I believe your post above promises a post on the morning of the 13th or was that just a “lighthearted joke” as well? My suggestion: fire your marketing manager… issue an apology/take the heat off the Price Tower… take a class on effective marketing / how to use social media… lay low for a while, don’t overreact… make a generous contribution/sponsorship to Young Professionals for overshadowing the HOT street party with your controversy… You may need to coordinate a truck “give-a-way” to make up lost ground.

    Then after all that…. DO IT AGAIN.

  • The Only Solution

    I note that Doenges’ defenders continue to say they never called the people who actually fell for the promotion stupid, and that fact is literally true. However, implying they should have known there was no way a truck could go off the Price Tower is the same thing.

    I think before this event people tended to see Brad Doenges as a fairly mild-mannered and different kind of car person, and that he really was going to do something spectacular. He should try to learn lessons from people like Richard Nixon, who tried hiding and denial, only to forever tarnish their reputations.

    What works in this situation is a full apology with some type of “do-over” event. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes, and I actually think people would embrace Doenges if he did this sincerely and with contrition. Anything less will never work, and this is the kind of stain that will only spread.

    There are obviously a number of people already who will now never buy a car from Doenges again. These people are sure to tell their friends and future residents of Bartlesville not to trust or buy from Doenges.

  • Mairking_uber_fail

    I always wondered what happened to the Molder Motors guys! I see they’re working over at Doenges now. Say hi to Jigidy Jake for me.

  • didyouhearthat?

    how can you call a comment fake? for all we know 90% of the negative comments are fake.. could be all the same people posting differently..
    I highly doubt the marketing director will be fired. I’m sure he pitched the idea and Brad accepted it. What they wanted to happen did. It got the Doenges name out all over Bartlesville and NE Oklahoma. I guess the only way I could describe the people who felt betrayed as collateral damage. As I am sure they would not do this to intentionally harm or betray anyone. It was ment to give everyone an AH-HAH moment, not a FU moment. As far as quoting goes, its truly hard to determine the difference between a play of words and a lie. “Chris Oldroyd, director of marketing and advertising at Doenges, said the truck will drop [from]approximately 190 feet” what was actually said we will never know. Whats the source the EE??? I wont believe diddley squat from it, when my mulitple comments only had a 25% success rate. They are not staying neutral to the issue.

  • Meowlicious

    Hey Mairking_uber_fail, just thought I would let you know what a hateful comment you made about the Moulder Motors guys…. remember the ones with the fun commercials that were entertaining and silly? They got our attention didn’t they? Well, you chose to ridicule them like the small-minded person you are… Want to know why they closed down? Wondering where they work now? Feel so much better than them right about now don’t you? Well Jiggity Jiggity Jake has cancer and he is unable to work and has been for quite some time. So… the guy is dying and you are making fun of him for it… Nice Job.

    Brad, I think he best thing you could do about now is get rid of your marketing director who is so full of himself… and yes I know that because I have had dealings with him recently. Let him go work in another town and lick his wounds… possibly he will be the better for it.

    You need to save face and have another shindig and feed everyone in town with a nice sandwich and a coke… I’m sure you will choose Dink’s because everyone else does and no one in this town ever thinks very hard… Then stand your rich butt out there all day long and admit to every single person you screwed up and your sorry. Give balloons to the kids, have a clown and some pony rides and be done with it.

  • Mairking_uber_fail

    Meowlicious: You REALLY need to take a chill pill dude. Small minded? Really? Wow he has cancer? I’m assuming every single citizen of Bartlesville knows this? How is that a hateful comment? You said their commercials were “entertaining and silly” and isn’t that what the defenders are implying of what Doenges did? “So the guy is dying and you are making fun of him for it..Nice Job.” That has got to be the most ridiculous comment I’ve ever read. FYI I found their commercials highly amusing but AFAIK few people saw the humor in them.

  • Icantbelievethesepeople

    The defenders of the Doenges/Price Tower Hoax will never be able to say enough to convince those of us, who stood in the 100+ degree temps, that any part of this Ford Drop fiasco was in any way OK. It was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, and your only making it worse!! Do you not get the fact that people are angry? No one likes to be the Butt of anyones joke. I promise you that Anywhere people congregate, this is what they are talking about, and I’m certain they aren’t saying good things.

    There needs to be an apology, and not an OOPS! we goofed apology typed on one little website. You need to use the same Media outlets used in creating this Farce! Put yourself out there and prove to us that you and everyone involved are Sorry!!

    This isn’t a ‘Once Upon A Time’ kind of story, it’s a ‘ One Dark and Stormy Night’ kind of story. I’m just waiting to see how it ends.

  • didyouhearthat?

    Wasn’t Moulder Motors run out of town from fruad? Actual fraud, not “we are dropping an f150″ play of words. Like, not paying liens on vehciles that were sold?? I could be wrong but I beleive that was the case. Jiggity Jake was goffy as all get out, but just like the banner drop ,or excuse me, f150 drop, it did what the wanted it to.

    And to comment on the Marketing director seems like a cunning smart fellow. Fairly bright anyways, Heck he got 2,500 people or so just to come see a banner drop. Thumbs up to him. I couldnt do it.

  • Scott

    I’m so glad I don’t live in Bartlesville anymore. The Price Tower should not have been complicit in this hoax by posting it on their official facebook page.

  • Grabber69

    Scott, they didnt. It was posted on there by members/friends…not by the organization.

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