Automotive

Ford drives success with social media

Carol Krol October 19, 2009

Ford Motor Company, a 106-year-old mainstay of American manufacturing that has long relied on traditional media to promote its product lines, has a fairly sophisticated approach to social media. The carmaker says its strategy hinges on a dual philosophy of both being present in the conversation and consistency in execution.
 

CarMD takes DRTV for a spin

Nathan Golia September 25, 2009

CarMD, a Fountain Valley, CA-based manufacturer of the computerized car maintenance product by the same name, will roll out a long-form infomercial for the device nationwide next month.
 

Chrysler reaches out to ad agencies for creative input

Carol Krol September 04, 2009

Chrysler has reached out to several ad agencies for input on its three brands: Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler. The news, first reported in Advertising Age, comes at a crucial time for the company. It emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year, becoming part of Fiat.
 

Billboards come to life by adding mobile

Dianna Dilworth August 17, 2009

For EZ Lube, a car maintenance franchise based in Southern California, mobile marketing has brought the marketer's billboards to life and given its customers a way to interact with the brand.
 

Kia extends 'A new way to roll' campaign with augmented reality game

Dianna Dilworth August 07, 2009

The Kia Motors Corp. has extended its "A new way to roll" campaign for social networks by creating a new augmented reality game for Facebook.
 

Sky's the limit for Infiniti convertible's new mobile campaign

Dianna Dilworth July 27, 2009

To promote the launch of its new Infiniti G37 Convertible and the summer sales event, Nissan is running a multichannel marketing campaign with various mobile elements.
 

Lexus targets affluent black women

Lauren Bell July 27, 2009

Event marketing, online tie-ins and database marketing combine to generate leads
 

Microsoft's click fraud suit applauded by Internet advertisers

Lynne Miller June 18, 2009

The impact of Microsoft's lawsuit against a trio suspected of carrying out a massive click fraud scam remains to be seen, but experts who follow online advertising welcomed the action and voiced hope that the case would deter people who routinely manipulate clicks on Web ads.
 

Land Rover by Wunderman

June 15, 2009

Land Rover tapped Wunderman to promote the launch of its 2010 model at the NY International Auto Show. Wunderman harnessed the real-time power of Twitter to extend the reach of the show to interested members of the Land Rover community not in attendance.
 

Lexus begins national CRM push after pilot

Lauren Bell June 15, 2009

Lexus is offering new CRM software to all of its US dealerships, following a successful 10-month pilot program at 14 dealers.
 The system lets Lexus customers make service appointments any time from anywhere, which Lexus execs believe will foster better relationships with existing customers and possibly attract new ones.
 

Amid bankruptcies, auto industry seeks digital reinvention

Lauren Bell, Dianna Dilworth, Chantal Tode June 05, 2009

Even with budgets getting sliced, marketing remains a necessary part of any automaker's business strategy. The question now is not whether automakers will spend to promote their brands, but whether they will stick to their old, traditional-media-heavy strategies or move their marketing dollars to more nimble online media.
 

Inbox Insider: Travel marketers use e-mail for last minute holiday deals

Dianna Dilworth May 19, 2009

As Memorial Day rounds the corner, travel marketers are using e-mail to promote last minute deals.
 

High Gear Media, NBC Digital partner in automotive site

Nancy Kearney May 19, 2009

High Gear Media, a publisher of automotive digital media, has been enlisted by NBC Digital Networks to develop content for NBCAutoshow.com. High Gear also announced that is has added Autotrader.com to its automotive content syndication network.
 

Harte-Hanks Direct

May 18, 2009

Harte-Hanks Direct is one of the biggest US direct marketing agencies and accounts for a significant portion of the overall Harte-Hanks' business. The direct portion includes businesses such as data quality solutions provider Trillium Software and market intelligence firm Aberdeen. Data is really what this firm is about. It is a leader in enterprise marketing database solutions and has made headway in the mid-market arena in recent years. Click headline above to view Harte-Hanks' full profile, complete with capabilities and company history.
 

WhittmanHart

May 18, 2009

Digital agency WhittmanHart has had to change a lot since starting out as an IT consultancy in the mid-1980's. It didn't truly become an interactive agency until a merger in 2000, but since then it has become one of the largest independently owned digital shops. WhittmanHart sees its proprietary Persona process — which models customer segments — as its key strength. Click headline above to view WhittmanHart's full profile, complete with capabilities and company history.
 

Wunderman

May 18, 2009

As the agency that bears the name of the legendary Lester Wunderman, who is credited with coining the phrase "direct marketing," it's no surprise that the science of direct is soul of what this agency does - though much of its work today revolves around digital, mobile, data analytics, e-mail as well as direct mail. The agency traces its roots to 1958 when it was founded as Wunderman, Ricotta, & Kline by three veteran ad men. In 1973, it was acquired by Young & Rubicam. Click headline above to view Wunderman's full profile, complete with capabilities and company history.
 

New Toyota Prius push
looks to reach masses

Lauren Bell May 15, 2009

Toyota and its AOR Saatchi & Saatchi LA are launching a nationwide, integrated campaign to promote the new, third-generation Toyota Prius.
 

Autotrader.com switches to Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Lauren Bell May 13, 2009

Auto classifieds Web site Autotrader.com has signed Microsoft Dynamics CRM to provide customer relationship management tools, replacing the site's legacy CRM software. Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which is already used by some of Autotrader's sister companies, was chosen after the company reviewed various off-the shelf tools and its own legacy system.
 

Edmunds.com debuts mobile site with Volvo ad sponsorship

Dianna Dilworth April 29, 2009

Automotive destination Edmunds.com has redesigned its site to be formatted for the mobile Web in a move to reach automotive consumers on the go. The Edmunds.com mobile WAP site will include auto news and reviews, vehicle pricing, Edmunds.com's True Market Value, buying guides, a loan calculator and a dealer locator.
 

Intelligent automotive marketing: It's not an oxymoron

Michael Bloom, GM, Datran Media April 28, 2009

Historically, many dollars have been spent on direct campaigns across automotive dealerships with greatly diminishing results as the data driving the campaigns aged. Direct campaigns of the past somewhat necessarily relied on assumption-riddled models of sending mail or calling into former customers based on self-reported data from the point of sale or purchased lists. Today, there are better alternatives.
 

Where corporate America shines: Custom publications breed trust

Michael Winkleman, chairman, Custom Publishing Council April 16, 2009

Here's an irony: Faith in American business appears to be at an all-time low; the nation's president has just fired the CEO of a leading automaker; a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll indicates that 8% of the country blames the banks for the current financial crisis. And yet, 1,000 Americans surveyed in February and March by Roper Public Affairs & Media for a Custom Publishing Council survey said that their faith in, commitment to, and enjoyment of custom publishing has actually increased in the four years since the last Roper/CPC poll.
 

Ford debuts social media campaign for new Fiesta

Dianna Dilworth April 09, 2009

The Ford Motor Company is taking a new approach to social media marketing and tapping young trendsetters to help spread the word about the new European Ford Fiesta. The campaign is part of a partnership between Ford, digital think tank Undercurrent and AMG, a Colorado-based partner of Undercurrrent.
 

Honda campaign pushes value and quality

Dianna Dilworth April 08, 2009

Honda's new, multichannel "True cost to own a Honda" campaign grew out of the company's desire to educate consumers about long-term value when considering a car purchase, according to the company. The campaign, announced earlier this week, was developed for Honda by its agency of record RPA.
 

Large AAA branch increases CRM efforts

Lauren Bell April 08, 2009

AAA Western and Central New York has implemented a new CRM system from CDC Software to better manage communications to its 880,000 members. More than 640 AAA associates will be using CDC's Pivotal CRM 6.0 as the auto club works to increase membership, improve customer service and cross-sell and up-sell products.
 

CarDomain acquires StreetFire.net

Dianna Dilworth April 08, 2009

CarDomain Network, an online automotive community, has acquired StreetFire.net, a site for automotive video file sharing. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition comes months after Glenn Rogers took over StreetFire as CEO.
 

Honda calls consumers to compare the value

Dianna Dilworth April 06, 2009

Honda is calling on consumers to do their own research in a new multichannel campaign called "True Cost to Own a Honda." The campaign, which was developed for Honda by its agency of record RPA, encourages consumers to compare Honda cars to the competition and calculate the long-term costs of vehicle ownership versus the price tag of a vehicle. The campaign is being pushed through online, TV and radio.
 

Marketers to shoppers: 'We care'

Dianna Dilworth, Chantal Todé, Bryan Yurcan March 06, 2009

The latest company to consider recession-inspired messaging is General Motors, which announced last week it may use empathetic strategies to entice cautious car buyers. The beleaguered car maker is taking a cue from competitor Hyundai's latest campaign.
 

Options Media/1Touch Marketing offers video SEO

Mary Elizabeth Hurn February 25, 2009

Options Media/1Touch Marketing is now offering video search engine optimization to its clients to help optimize brands' videos and place them on numerous video search engines like YouTube, Google Video and others.
 

Alliance's Canadian loyalty renews partnership with Shell

Mary Elizabeth Hurn February 04, 2009

Loyalty solutions provider Alliance Data Systems Corporation has signed a multi-year renewal agreement with Shell Canada Products — one of Canada's largest oil companies — to remain a national sponsor in Alliance's Canadian Air Miles Reward Program.
 

Drive auto sales online

Bryan Yurcan January 26, 2009

You'll still see plenty of car commercials on TV and ads in print, but automakers are poised to invest more on the Web, say experts.