InternetRetailer.com - Car dealers need to read the digital advertising tea... http://www.internetretailer.com/printArticle.asp?id=23554

1 of 1 3/13/2008 7:33 AM

News Story From Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Car dealers need to read the digital advertising tea leaves

Auto dealers who want to maximize their digital advertising spending need to pay close attention to where – andwhen – consumers research their vehicle purchases online, says a new research report from J.D. Power andAssociates.

Online advertisers, especially dealers who are targeting new vehicle buyers, can tailor how quickly their advertising reaches their intended audience by understanding the differences between daily and monthly web site visitation patterns, the report concludes.

Retail-oriented messages such as cash-back promotions are more effective when placed on web sites that have high average daily audience reach and accumulate their maximum reach quickly, while branding campaigns do not require this type of speed, says J.D. Power.

For instance, when measured during a span of four weeks, ESPN.com and Travelocity.com had a reach of 32% and 33%, respectively, among consumers who plan to buy a mid-size premium crossover utility vehicle in the near future. However, ESPN.com achieves its reach in a shorter period of time. ESPN delivers nearly one-third of its total monthly audience in just one day, on average, while Travelocity.com has a daily reach averaging only about 4%, says J.D. Power.

“Online advertisers who consider average daily audience reach when targeting new vehicle buyers can quicklydetermine which web sites are most efficient for reaching their intended audience and how rapidly theiradvertising message will be served,” says Steve Witten, executive director of marketing/media research at J.D.Power. “Optimizing media buys and advertising spot placements in this manner can help advertisers achievetheir specific marketing objectives.”

The study also finds that visitation to particular web sites can vary greatly by the type of vehicle consumers arelikely to purchase. The report finds that compact basic car buyers are 44% more likely to visit YouTube at leastonce per month than the average new vehicle buyer, and 14% of large pickup truck buyers visit NASCAR.com atleast once per month compared with 10% of buyers overall. “The Internet is especially effective in helpingadvertisers find ‘in-market’ consumers—those who are actively shopping for a new car or truck—so marketersoften overlook the fact that online advertising is also a particularly effective branding tool,” says Witten.

Copyright © 2008 This content is the property of Vertical Web Media.