5:09 pm, December 19, 2011
Winner: Peter Vardy
Commended: Louis and Reg Rix, Daksh Gupta
THE motor trade is full of personalities – from top dealer principals to Nigel and his used car lot under the railway arches.
But there are few personalities who have a moralistic approach to doing business, and share this among their customers on the internet. Step up Peter Vardy.
This year, Web Personality of the Year was a new category and went in search of someone who was creative and inspirational in their web presence. Like Social Media User of the Year, our winner could be an individual, a company or a service, but unlike the Social Media User category, the winner had to be exceptional on all levels.
Since starting the business in May 2006 and opening his first dealership in Perth in June of the same year, Peter Vardy jnr. has gone out to create a unique business model.
The firm’s Facebook page – which has almost 1,800 users ‘liking’ it – outlines the business succinctly and includes the mission statement: ‘The vision of Peter Vardy Ltd is to create the world’s best motor retail operation as measured by our colleagues, customers and communities in which we serve.
‘Peter Vardy Limited will promote new thinking, resources and incentives to enhance colleague satisfaction as the primary route to long-term success.’
The business also has strong Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and LinkedIn accounts.
Ewards judge Ashley Hitchcock of Spidersnet said: ‘Peter Vardy’s attitude to selling cars and running his business, by not focusing on being the biggest, but doing it right, is refreshing.’
Bluesky Interactive’s Alan Crane added: ‘Peter Vardy have implemented some great social media campaigns, the most recent being the fun interactive online advent calendar for the build-up to Christmas. The company has a huge social media presence and constant communication with its online audience through Facebook and Twitter.’
James Tew of Webzation concluded: ‘Peter has a real passion for the web and has always been an early adopter of new technologies.’
