MENU
SEARCH
Auto dealerships dropped their overall ad budgets 27 percent, but increased Internet ad spending 45 percent in the first three quarters of 2009, compared to the same time period in 2008, according to new data from Nielsen.
The data points to an ongoing trend of the auto industry’s continuing shift from traditional to online advertising.
Philip Zelinger, president of Ad Agency Online, instructed his affiliated automotive advertising agencies to shift their focus from conventional automotive advertising media to social networking-based marketing channels last month.
Online auto ad companies have been steadily growing their tool sets in response to the increasing demand. Autobytel, for example, expanded its New Car Leads Program to include inventory-based leads using Vast.com, an automotive search and advertising platform. The system enables dealers’ inventory to be automatically listed across the Vast.com network, which includes automotive sites such as AOL Autos, Overstock Cars and AutoMedia.
Because the VIN number is included in each inventory-based consumer lead transmitted to Autobytel dealers, the system provides specific information about which individual vehicles consumers are considering. The program is pay-for-performance, and dealers will only pay for the leads that they get.
At the end of September, Autobytel also relaunched its Email Manager program, which features real-time “Dealer Alerts” sent as soon as a consumer clicks on any of the links in an email. Another company that is targeting this industry with email marketing solution is CityTwist, a geo-targeted email marketing company, which recently partnered with Aspen Marketing Services, to provide geo-targeted email advertising campaigns for its automotive clients.
CityTwist allows businesses to advertise directly to subscribers within a specific geographic market through email while receiving real-time tracking on open and click-through rates.
A recent price spike due to several larger market forces, though it hasn’t dulled demand, is pushing more consumers to efficient models to squeeze in buys.
Read More →
A group out West picked up the major D.C.-area collection, putting it in the upper tiers of private automotive groups in the U.S.
Read More →
Cox Automotive research shows both the opportunities and the challenges in turning consumers’ growing affordability needs into increased fixed-operations revenue.
Read More →
The partner you choose for growth and expansion is key, because better is the ultimate goal instead of growth for growth’s sake.
Read More →
The dealership profit center plays an important role in customer retention, and generation Z customers are showing the highest loyalty rates, based on recent CDK Global data.
Read More →
The Point Predictive study traced a pattern across more than 100 websites it believes are being developed by an international theft ring.
Read More →
The sale of two Minnesota franchises ends a rare multigenerational business while adding to one of the Midwest’s biggest auto groups.
Read More →
California, as usual, led the country in EV registrations in the fourth quarter, but the U.S. as a whole saw a 43% year-over-year volume decrease.
Read More →
Forecasts show that the spring sales season is rising above overriding economic concerns, among them continuously rising car prices, trade tariffs, elevated interest rates, and now a war.
Read More →
The Kerrigan Index shows that despite a chaotic year of musical trade tariffs, high vehicle prices and more roadblocks, acquirers still flush with pandemic-era cash accelerated the consolidation pace.
Read More →
