Bob Stephen wants to do for car buying what Home Depot has done for hardware retailing ­ revitalize an experience that many people have learned to dread.

Stephen, owner of a Nissan dealership in Scarborough, Ont., has just renamed his shop Bob Stephen Infiniti Nissan Store and has launched a print campaign to reflect the dealership’s new approach.

The campaign, created by Toronto agency TBWA Chiat/Day, is not your typical dealership fare ­ a bare-bones recitation of leasing rates and options. Rather, the informative and artfully-designed ads (which have run in Toronto-area newspapers, including The Toronto Star) are topped with the new store logo and an explanation of the Bob Stephen concept.

Each begins with the telling statement ‘Long live the customer’ and promises an entirely new way of doing business ­ ‘a friendly, straightforward approachŠ pressure-free and professional.’

‘I’m not very happy with the fact that people don’t like the buying experience,’ says Stephen, adding that that first transaction is the car dealer’s best chance to establish a long-term and profitable relationship with the customer.

For although people may be willing to travel some distance to buy a new car for the right price, unless they’ve had a positive buying experience, those same people may not be willing to travel far to service the vehicle. And with parts and service the heart of a dealership’s business ­ ‘I don’t think there’s any dealer that can make enough selling cars,’ he says ­ Stephen decided there was ample opportunity for a fresh approach.

He decided to cross the retail experience ­ including its ‘customer is always right’ credo and a money-back guarantee ­ with the atmosphere of an airport executive lounge.

‘One of the most inconvenient things in a car dealership is waiting,’ he says. ‘It’s a total waste of time.’ Stephen looked to executive waiting areas in airports for inspiration because he says that waiting for a flight can actually be enjoyable in the upscale, business-friendly environment some airlines offer.

He installed two workstation-equipped seating areas ­ including phones and hook-ups for laptop computers ­ and a third near the service area for those interested in watching work being done on their cars.

Also, in the spirit of traditional retail, Stephen’s Infiniti Nissan Store offers a three-day money-back policy with a 30-day exchange program ­ something he says he’s always done but never formally implemented or publicized. ‘It’s just an act of faith,’ he says. Stephen says that some of his salespeople were a bit uncomfortable with formalizing the return policy at first but he adds that change has to occur if dealerships are to hang onto their business.

With added competition from auto parts aftermarket shops ­ and more expected with u.s. shops such as Autozone rumored to be casting their eyes northward ­ Stephen says it is vital dealerships do everything they can to keep customers throughout the life-cycle of the car.

In the u.s., two Nissan dealerships have successfully changed their businesses over to a ‘store’ concept, including one in Texas that also used Chiat/Day for its advertising, according to Stephen. He says he expects other dealers to follow his lead. ‘There’s no question they’re considering it.’

Doug Turney, group account director for TBWA Chiat/Day, says at a corporate level, Nissan advertising in the u.s. calls all its dealerships stores to emphasize the retail experience.

Turney adds the automotive industry has been moving in a consumer-oriented direction for years and, he says, in large part, Nissan was the leader. The company focused on a satisfaction initiative years ago, which resulted in then-novel offerings such as roadside assistance, and has made customer satisfaction a hallmark. ‘Ultimately, that kind of thing has to permeate out at the dealer level,’ says Turney.

According to John Kalsbeek, director of Canada’s eastern region for Nissan, the company is not involved in the Bob Stephen project, nor is it measuring the success of the concept because the company’s 148 dealers are independent and can market the cars any way they please.

Kalsbeek says while it isn’t common for a dealer to employ an agency for its own marketing endeavors, it isn’t unheard of.

Chiat Day’s Turney says that the campaign, which broke last month, will run throughout the summer and will be stepped up in the fall when Stephen opens a second location nearby.