A friend and his wife recently purchased a Honda Odyssey van.

They waited about a year from the time they decided to purchase a new van to the time they actually did so.

I would not call them impulsive.

In that year, they did not test-drive any other vans, domestic or foreign. Not one. In fact, they didn’t even test-drive an Odyssey. Not even once. They frequented a Honda dealership only twice, once on a vacation to Minnesota and then again to buy the van. They had never owned a Honda before; the van they drove was a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan.

There were only two vans in the running: the Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna. And my friend’s wife felt the Toyota was not as roomy. So even Toyota really never had a shot. Never was a domestic van considered. Even the color was never really in doubt. She wanted the Ocean Mist.

The only “marketing” that I can see shaping the decision: their experience driving a domestic van for many years and the influence of a brother-in-law, who drove an Odyssey. That’s it!

And I can’t remember one Super Bowl ad for a Honda anything, can you?

So, which auto company would you rather be the Chief Marketing Officer for?

Marketing is so much easier (and less expensive, I would guess) when you have perception on your side.