Florida Dealership Taps Ducks for Marketing Expertise

The last couple of weeks (and, um, stories) have been awash in negative press and bad vibes for Nissan. Fortunately, mother nature stepped in to help one Florida dealership restore the cosmic balance by having a family of ducks move in.

A few months ago, a nest of ducklings hatched outside Sutherlin Nissan Orlando. They decided to stick around, creating an interesting incentive for customers. While we doubt the company would implement new dealer conditions that mandate an on-site petting zoo, it could be a novel solution to its sales woes. After all, promoting dogs worked extremely well for Subaru. Maybe Nissan can become the duck brand.

The Miami Herald (brought to our attention via Jalopnik) reports that managing partner Ulrich Stanley Marine documented the ducks’ progress through his Facebook account, to our collective benefit. Apparently, the little scamps spend much of their day in a nearby pond but frequently came inside for attention and treats.

“At first the mother was really protective of the babies,” said Marine. “Now they come in at least 15 times a day, and she doesn’t mind at all.”

“We let kids feed them and they put people in a good mood,” he continued, adding that their presence had ultimately helped sales.

Marine, who said he now considers the ducks to be the business’ mascots, noted that the dealership constructed a small pond near the store’s entrance to encourage them to stay close by. They’re currently featured on the brand’s social media page and have been covered by various local news outlets.

While we can’t say there’s much to take away from the story, other than further confirmation that ducks are extremely cute animals (at least until you look into their mating habits), and that dealership with access to adorable creatures can easily utilize them for free publicity. It works, and there’s really no way anybody can put a negative spin on it.

[Image: Sutherlin Nissan]