Savvy and community-minded dealership owners understand their connection to their respective local areas. From providing little league jerseys to sponsoring food banks during Thanksgiving, dealerships are consistently answering the call to help leave their communities better than they found them. While it is true that cause marketing can have a powerful impact on sales, there is one issue that likely impacts every dealership staff member and car buyer: breast cancer.
According to Breastcancer.org, approximately one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. Because of the increasing reach of this disease in communities around the country, dealerships are in an excellent position to bring awareness to fighting it. In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, here are how dealership groups that are within the top fifteen of Automotive News’s 2017 150 Top Dealership Groups list contribute to breast cancer charities and create awareness around the disease.
AutoNation Inc.
Florida-based AutoNation Inc. may take the top spot regarding new vehicle sales, but they also have a history of putting their best foot forward when it comes to breast cancer awareness. In honor of their #DrivePink initiative, AutoNation partnered with the Orange Bowl on a social media campaign that encourages football fans to share their own stories of fighting breast cancer. One fan’s account will be recognized at this year’s College Football Playoff semifinal game. This act isn’t all the auto group is doing. AutoNation has partnered with the Orlando Sports Foundation to donate $3.3 million to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Penske Automotive Group Inc.
This “best dealership to work for” winner is also creating a buzz around the importance of discussing the impact of breast cancer. Chevrolet, Honda, and Hyundai of Turnersville in New Jersey, dealerships a part of the Penske Automotive Group, invited all staff to replace their uniforms with pink dress shirts to show solidarity with all those fighting breast cancer. In the past, Penske has donated $15,000 to PinkAid CT, an organization that helps underserved women tackle breast cancer, to provide free breast cancer screenings and covers essential non-medical expenses such as food and recovery garments.
Hendrick Automotive Group
This year, Hendrick Automotive Group combined their dedication to bringing awareness to breast cancer awareness month with serving students in the community. Honda of Concord and Hendrick Toyota Concord joined in with the Hendrick Cares initiative to host a “Pink Out Packing Party.” Clad in pink, Hendrick dealership workers packed over 1,000 food backpacks in early October for children who do not have consistent access to food. The also staff partnered with iheartmedia in Charlotte, South Carolina to raise awareness for the event and the cause of the month with country musician, Russell Dickerson.
Asbury Automotive Group
Four of Asbury Automotive’s senior managers, Kerrie Ward, Jen Dowd, Lindsay Parks, and Debi Hoover participated in the Pink Ribbon Golf Classic. The event is the American Cancer Society’s number one single-day women’s golf tournament and is held in Suwanee, GA. All proceeds raised from the golf tournament go to aid the American Cancer Society’s work in cancer research, education, patient services, and advocacy. The four women joined 128 local golfers, corporate sponsors, and Atlanta-based philanthropic leaders to play in this charity-based game.
Prime Automotive Group
Prime Motor Group, a New England-based dealership group, was a flagship sponsor for this year’s Greater Portland Strides event that took place at Fort Williams Park on October 14th. The Strides Event is a non-competitive three to five-mile walk hosted by the American Cancer Society. The event raises money to fund research, information sharing, and opportunities for those dealing with the disease to participate in screening activities that encourage early detection.
Final Thoughts
Whether all dealership staff greets customers in pink uniforms, or the auto group as a whole donates a million dollars to breast cancer research, each act large or small, helps to raise awareness for a disease that impacts 12.4 percent of women in the United States. Again, dealerships are in a unique position to not only contribute monetarily but remind their customers as to why they should donate or raise awareness on their own. This October, many dealerships are acting as role models for how to fight breast cancer. Their acts, along with the efforts of other organizations, will hopefully lead to the continued gradual decrease of this far-reaching disease.
