July 25, 2016 — For dealerships, designing an effective recall marketing campaign may involve a little imagination. Think about what owners need to know, and how they will feel when they receive their notifications. By staying ahead of what customers want and giving them exactly that, dealers can make a difficult process go more smoothly. There needs to be a strategy behind what these statements stay.

The New York Times recently looked at the BMW recalls for vehicles with potentially harmful Takata inflators. It spoke to Robert Osborn, who owns a BMW and did not find the manufacturer’s letter to be useful. Although the message contained many descriptions of the recall process and how the action will be carried out, Osborn said he wasn’t actually sure about the risk in his region of the country or what he needs to do until the repairs start.

“I live near the ocean; it’s humid here,” Osborn said. “I don’t know if they’ve figured out: This much time plus this much moisture equals exploding air bag. The letter I got is not very comforting. It offers scary possibilities, but no concrete details about ‘Here’s what to do, or not do, in the meantime.'”

Improve recall communications by learning from this person’s account. However, as Recall Masters’ own Chris Miller said in a Fixed Ops article from last year, different customers may have their own needs. Some might want assurance, while others might not know that the recall exists in the first place. As such, the strategy could differ depending on population, but the information and clarity shouldn’t. At the end of the recall process, all owners should feel like they’re being taken care of.