Classic cars for a good cause

Last year’s Thanksgiving came early for American auto enthusiasts when Turners Whangarei branch held a unique muscle car auction on 20 November 2010.

The collection of classic American cars featured a 1975 AMC Matador, a 1975 Cadillac El Dorado, a 1986 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition, as well as multiple Pontiac Trans Ams.

The 32 vehicles belonged to the late Dick James, a well-known Whangerei car lover that passed away in 2008. The James’ family had generously decided to donate 10 percent of the money from the auction to the hospice that cared for him during his final days.

Porter Novelli developed a media strategy to raise awareness for the muscle car auction in the local community and among New Zealand classic car enthusiasts, as well as telling the story of the James family’s donation to North Haven Hospice.

The story was extremely well received by media. Campbell Live sent a reporter up to Whangarei to check out the unique collection of American muscle, while the New Zealand Herald and the Northern Advocate published a couple of articles promoting the auction in the weeks prior.

The auction was a huge success with more than 250 petrol heads turning up at Turners’ Whangarei branch on the day. Twenty nine of the 32 cars sold in excess of their reserves and more than $26,000 was donated to North Haven Hospice.

Coverage that helped to achieve this outcome included the stories on Campbell Live, in the New Zealand Herald, Northern Advocate and the Whangarei Leader, as well as coverage on NZ Classic Car, NZV8 and NZ Performance Car websites. A total of 18 pieces of coverage were secured generating potential for more than 1.6 million impressions and a total equivalent advertising value of more than $130,000.00.