You're no longer in Tom Peden Country?

[CoolBreeze]

Word on the street is that Tom Peden Chevy was facing bankruptcy... big time. Word also is that Don Tate of Fas-Check fame is the new owner. They used to run commercials non-stop. Heard any lately?

[cgarison]

In Philly, probably 10 dealers have gone bankrupt in the last 3 months. I was watching a crew of Mexicans drive cars off the lot of a super dealership yesterday as I was returning back to Philly from New Jersey. Really sad.

[AmpedNow]

Considering the economic conditions of "Tom Peden Country", I don't see how they could've gotten so big without playing loose with high-interest loans and cooking the books at least a little...

[fearpeddler]

I've heard that same story, didn't hear tate mentioned in it though, heard white and another area dealer where in similar situations as well..

[CoolBreeze]

Tom Peden dealerships are purchased by entrepreneur Don Tate, partner
by George Hohmann
Daily Mail Business Editor

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Entrepreneur Don Tate announced that he and business partner Mark Porter have purchased the Tom Peden auto dealerships in Ripley.

"Mark Down," the Peden dealerships' invisible advertising mascot, went on permanent vacation in July, Tate said. Nevertheless, the new owners have marked the more than 500 vehicles on the half-mile-long lot down to cost.

"Our first goal is to flush out the current inventory," Tate said. "There are 228 trucks on the lot. We will sell everything at cost to get new inventory in there. We welcome trade-ins."

Tate said gasoline was selling for $2.19 a gallon in Parkersburg on Friday. "That's $2 cheaper than it was at its highest point, which makes trucks more interesting," he said. "For the smallest Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck on the lot, retail is only $16,000 - and that is retail. So there are some inexpensive trucks available out there."

Tom Peden had been in business at Ripley for 23 years. Tate said he and Porter paid Peden $3 million for the dealerships, which include a Chevy, Buick and Pontiac dealership on one end of the lot and a Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealership at the other end.

"We're going to do the merger with Chrysler and GM before GM does it," Tate joked. He was referring to news reports that General Motors and Chrysler are talking about combining.

Seriously, "the franchises will stay the same" at Ripley, Tate said. "Each is a separate entity with its own building, service and parts departments."

The dealerships have a total of 52 employees. Combined, they are one of the largest employers in Jackson County.

"The employees are the most valuable asset," Tate said. "You can replace desks, computers and pumps but you cannot easily replace good, qualified people. We have a service manager with 22 years' experience; a parts manager with 20 years. You just don't go out and find people on the street with those kind of qualifications - people who are known to the community and the business itself."

More...

http://www.dailymail.com/Business/200811100209

[Clay JD Walker]

I blame that damn Mark Down guy...put a man right out of business.

[Rock]

We figured something was up, since they quit running spots some time back. They had been saturating the air.

[Big Media]

I will miss those spots. As far as car dealership ads, which we all loath, they were the most entertaining by a mile. That pesky Mark Down.

[Rock]

Pesky, indeed.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Is there a car dealership that DOESN'T have irritating ads, especially with the yelling or some "stroke the ego" homemade ad that involves the dealership owner and/or his non-photogenic family ...

[Rock]

Actually, I thought the Peden ads were some of the best I've heard. An element of humor, no annoying stuttering five year old, no screaming super-hype...yadayada.

[Hoosier Daddy]

I think one of the most effective and memorable radio ads I ever heard were the old 60 second Dutch Miller commercials in the early to mid 1980s. They were professionally produced by an agency voice but were designed to sound like a phoned-in radio remote. A number of dealerships across the country used this guy but I cannot recall his name. The spots were cut for a specific day of the week and time of day, as in "We welcome you by Dutch Miller Chevrolet on this FANTASTIC Tuesday afternoon ... Say, did you hear ... we have the new Impala marked down ... TODAY ONLY ... at just ..." et al.

A lot of people thought this guy worked at the local station and was actually at the dealership when the commercial aired. The spots had that telephone line quality like the talent was simply using a CO line in the Sales Manager's office to call the radio station. I believe Bobb Chevrolet in Columbus used the same package.

[AmpedNow]

I think I've heard those ads everywhere I've been in WV, and that's pretty much all over.

It was pretty neat that he seen the entire state as "Tom Peden Country". Good for radio, too.

Maybe they'll start again after the new owners settle in, but I'm sure they will have a different name.

[genlock]

Half price shoes.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Half price shoes.

Irritating, but effective.

[AmpedNow]

Half price shoes.

Irritating, but effective.

So effective, we used to run around as kids saying this stupid thing.

Of course, we added our own slogan: "No wonder they call it Half Price Shoes... They only give you one shoe!"

Hey, it was comedy gold for a bunch of 9-year olds...

[genlock]

"Jan Dils, attorney at law, she won't take no for an answer."

[CoolBreeze]

"As a new day dawns in Ripley ..."

Mark Down's Origin

Melissa Matthews, a freelance writer in Charlotte, N.C., has written the scripts for all of Mark Down's exploits.
The commercials were originally done once a month to celebrate midnight madness sales.

Ground Crew Studios, which also is based in Charlotte, has been producing the commercials since Mark Down's conception. Matthews introduced Tom Peden Country to the firm, which works with more than 300 clients across the country, and the dealership has been one of Ground Crew's most reliable customers since.

John Causby, Ground Crew owner, said. "It's fun. It's one of the most creative things we do."
"It was a fun little voice to come up with,". "In the earlier ones, he didn't say much, but now you can't get him to stop talking." In fact, Causby would like to syndicate the Mark Down concept, but Tom Peden isn't interested.

Causby came up with Mark Down's squeaky and manic voice and still plays him in the commercials.
http://johncausby.com/

Actor James K. Flynn, meanwhile, is the narrator. http://jamesflynn.voices.com/

An ad agency originally shot down Matthews' Mark Down idea, but she took the idea to Tom Peden Country later.

"We decided to try it, then we took it off (the air) after a couple months," Sayre said. "Then people started asking, 'Where did it go?' We originally thought we would move on to something else, but that just never has happened. ... I can't see it going away."

[Dave Loudin]

Sheehy Ford in Springfield, VA, used the Mark Down campaign.

[Big Media]

I laugh my ass off every time I recall the old Honolulu Harry commercials for Tobacco Hut. They didn't air for long but they were some creative spots. I believe Tom Roten wrote them. The original intent was to use "multiple voices." Big Jon Bowen got hold of the script and cut all the voices himself.

Another throwback to my old days with Adventure Radio Group were Greg Evan's Dixie Thunder/No Fear spots.

Anyone heard from Greg lately? Where he be at deeze daze?