DrivingSales Announces Innovation Cup and Dealer Best Idea Award Winners

Salt Lake City, Utah – DrivingSales announced the winners of the 2012 Innovation Cup and Dealer Best Idea Awards. The Innovation Cup Award was presented to cDemo’s Mi VIDEO for the most innovative dealership solution of the year; the Development Team for the Walser Automotive Group won the 2012 Dealer Best Idea Award for the most innovative auto dealership strategy. Both were presented at 2012’s DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), held recently in Las Vegas.

All finalists presented their solutions and best idea strategies on stage at DSES, which had approximately 1,000 attendees. A panel of dealer judges asked questions of each presenter and scored each solution / strategy. The solution with the highest score was presented with the 2012 Innovation Cup Award. The strategy with the highest score won the 2012 Dealer Best Idea Award. Cash and prizes totaling $10,000 were awarded to the winner of the Dealer Best Idea Award and runners up.

cDemo’s Mi VIDEO – a solution which captures real vehicle video walk-arounds by customers and uploads them to YouTube – received the highest score, winning the Innovation Cup Award. Finalists were: CallSource’s DealSaver with Mobile App; DMEautomotive’s DriverConnect Mobile App; HookLogic’s Lead2Show, and J&L Marketing bLinked.

Walser Automotive Group’s development team, represented by Director of Marketing Alan Krutsch, took home the Dealer Best Idea Award, receiving the highest score for their strategy of adding an “I’ll Take It” button to all inventory, allowing customers to begin the purchase process online. First runner up was Matthew Smith, Marketing Manager, Darling’s, followed by Bryan Wilson, eCommerce Director, Ehrlich Group; Daniel Boismier, Internet Director, The Suburban Collection, and Wendy Lowen, Internet Manager, Park Chrysler Jeep.

“The Innovation Cup and Dealer Best Idea Awards are a highlight of the DSES each year, and this year’s finalists personified excellence with their forward-thinking, smart and practical ideas,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “DrivingSales is committed to nurturing and encouraging innovation in the industry, and we were proud to showcase cDemo’s Mi VIDEO and Walser Automotive Group’s ‘I’ll take it’ winning solution and strategy, along with a stellar group of finalists, in front of an audience of their peers. Congratulations to our winners and finalists!”