In Budget-Cutting Time, Save Money for Driving Events

(MoneyWatch)  Driving events for owners and for well-chosen prospects are a powerful way the most desirable automotive brands stay that way.

With a global automotive recession underway, and car companies cutting marketing budgets, here's hoping that the money will continue to be found for events where owners can put the product through its paces, whether on a racetrack, through a stream, or just around the parking lot.

Driving events are a great antidote for buyer's remorse. They promote positive word-of-mouth, and provide owners with ammunition to defend their purchases, when friends and neighbors (and spouses) rag them about paying a premium price. That's an important consideration today.

Luxury brands with racecar appeal, like Porsche and Ferrari, get this. Porsche says its 2009 Porsche Sport Driving School will have its biggest program ever, with about 250 professional instructors worldwide.

Ferrari plans to continue with its Ferrari Driving Experience at a racetrack in Quebec, from May to September 2009, according to the company web site. Ferrari also sponsors racing for its owners. Mercedes-Benz also has plans to continue sponsoring racetrack events in 2009, for owners of its high-performance AMG models.

Engaging driving events don't have to be high-speed. Land Rover has long-running, off-road driving schools for owners, at several U.S. destination resorts. The schools are a big reason Land Rover is still hanging on in the United States, even though it's an all-SUV brand. (Granted, U.S. sales are way down.)

Land Rover is near the bottom in the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study, which measures problems in the first 90 days of ownership. At the same time, Land Rover is in the Top 10 brands in the J.D. Power APEAL study, which measures how much owners like their vehicles. In my experience, a couple of hours of off-highway driving make up for a lot of sins.

On a less luxurious scale, Camp Jeep events are also a reason that the Jeep brand is considered a valuable asset within Chrysler LLC, even though Chrysler is on the ropes.

The current recession won't last forever. The brands that suffer less and that bounce back will have owner advocates. Driving events are a way to cultivate those fans.