So many people (like me) who never considered the brand in the first place walk out of the showroom knowing we could not consider anything else. All Mazda has to do is get people in the showroom in the first place, and it seems that they make no effort to.
And THAT folks is the entire crux of Mazda's problem.
Read any reviews on any site from Honda or Toyota owners, and not one of them will mention that they cross shopped a Mazda.
Honda CR-V owners will tell you they looked at Rav4's, and maybe a Subaru, but that's it.
Rav4 owners say the same thing. They looked at a CR-V, but nothing else. No mention, ever, of any of them having looked at a Mazda.
However, you don't have to go far to see CX-5 owners who were shopping Honda and Toyota, and for whatever reason, decided to check out Mazda.
And Bingo, the Mazda wins.
Mazda needs to get off it's collective ass and focus all their attention on getting people into the showroom.
Offer some sort of incentive to walk in the door. Hell, how about a free set of dishes for test driving a CX-5? Something....anything.
The cars will sell themselves, if only Mazda could convince or entice people to check them out.
There's not a soul out there that's contemplating buying a CR-V or Rav4 etc., that will be inspired to go to a Mazda dealer, given the current advertising program.
It sucks.