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News and Industry Features
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Report: Brand uncertainty dissuades many buyers
Nearly one in five new-vehicle buyers who avoid a particular vehicle model cite their concern over the future of the brand as a reason for avoidance, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Avoider Study.
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Autos contribute to display ad recovery
Reiterating an "overweight" buying recommendation for shares of Yahoo stock, the influential securities research team at JP Morgan this morning issued a report to investors suggesting that an imminent recovery in the online display advertising marketplace could be the "catalyst" for a rebound at the online portal giant, MediaPost reports. "In 2009, one of the hardest hit Internet sectors has been display advertising. At Yahoo, owned-and-operated display advertising revenues were down 12% in the first three quarters of 2009 and accounted for roughly 25% of gross revenue in third quarter (and a substantially higher percentage of profitability). Thus, we think a recovery in display advertising dollars could be a catalyst for Yahoo's stock," the analysts wrote, noting that positive signs are mounting, including an improvement in key vertical ad categories, such as automotive and finance, which account for roughly 25% of Yahoo's online advertising revenue. "Revenue from those two verticals was down more than 15% during the first nine months," the researchers noted, adding, "However, based on our industry checks, we think auto and finance advertisement trends are improving in the fourth quarter. Additionally we think the comps are getting easier. Therefore we think our owned and operated display advertising estimate for 1.5% growth in fiscal 2010 could be too conservative."
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Q&A: Ford to hit ground running in 2010
John Felice, general marketing manager for the Ford division, was in New York last Friday to ring the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange to spotlight Ford's involvement with the Ironman triathlon. Marketing Daily caught up with him at Ford's offices in Rockefeller Center to discuss the auto advertising landscape in 2010.
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Tiger Woods' Cadillac Escalade to be repaired, auctioned
So what will become of the General Motors-owned Escalade that Woods careened through his Florida neighborhood? GM made a deal with Woods after his promotional role with Buick ended late last year to keep taking a bevy of GM vehicles for his personal use, including the Escalade and a Buick Enclave, USAToday reports. So there are lots of Woods-occupied vehicles out there, just none in such terrible shape. As to its fate, Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell says don't expect to find the beaten-up Escalade in a museum or on eBay anytime soon. "The vehicle will be repaired, firstly. This is a promotional/marketing vehicle -- the kinds of cars used for advertising, public displays, photography, etc. That makes this a little different than a garden-variety car repair - given its special usage. So I don't know what will happen until that repair is completed and analyzed. It could return to service as a promotional vehicle, meaning it would go back into the pool of cars that we use for various marketing activities. Or, on the other hand, we produce a lot of new vehicles. It's sometimes easier to take a new car and put it into this kind of role. In that case, the older vehicle could be re-purposed in many ways - we could retain ownership of it, using it for other internal duties, or we could indeed sell it off. Generally selling a company-owned vehicle means that it would go into an auction. So there are a few options."
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Chevy tops on AutoTrader.com year-end report
Chevy was a big winner in the new car space during 2009, with the Chevy Camaro capturing the No. 1 most-viewed new car spot in 2009 and Chevy ranking as the most-viewed new vehicle brand on AutoTrader.com in 2009, according to the Year-End AutoTrader.com Trend Engine Report. The Camaro grabbed the No. 1 most viewed spot from 2008's most-viewed vehicle, the new Honda Accord, which fell from No. 1 in 2008 to No. 4 in 2009. Rounding out the top five most-viewed new vehicles on AutoTrader.com in 2009 were the Ford F-150 at No. 2, the Ford Mustang at No. 3 and the Chevy Silverado at No. 5. The biggest new-car jump on the AutoTrader.com top 20 new car list was the redesigned Nissan 370Z, which jumped from No. 96 in 2008 to No. 19 in 2009. Other year-over-year new-car jumps were made by the Dodge Challenger, up from No. 29 in 2008 to No. 10 in 2009 and the Volkswagen Jetta, up from No. 32 in 2008 to No. 18 in 2009.
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Top 10 online video automotive ads chart debuts
Visible Measures, an independent third-party measurement firm for Internet video publishers, advertisers, and viral marketers, announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Motor Trend to regularly publish a top 10 chart of the top-performing online video automotive advertising campaigns. The top 10 chart will be published weekly on MotorTrend.com and monthly in the print magazine's Trends section.
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Leasing returns, but bargain rates harder to find
Vehicle leasing is resurging at a slow and measured pace, but wary automakers say it is unlikely to ever return to the madcap days when irresistibly low monthly rates drove up demand, The Detroit News reports. Consumers are still attracted to leasing because it is generally cheaper than buying, and they can always drive a new car. Dealers like it because it keeps customers coming back every few years and ensures a good selection of quality used vehicles. But automakers and lenders are being cautious after the worst recession in decades helped dry up car and truck sales, fueling big financial losses when returned lease vehicles were worth far less than expected. "We spoiled people," said George Fowler, general manager of Superior Pontiac Buick GMC Trucks in Dearborn. "Everyone who walks in wants to lease a car because they were taught in the past that payments are cheaper. People walk in and ask for a $200-a-month lease."
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AutoUSA unveils new mobile leads program for dealers
AutoUSA announced a new mobile leads program for dealers that uses an iPhone/iPod Touch application developed by Carperks to generate new and used vehicle leads. AutoUSA will be the exclusive distributor of leads from the Carperks app, which can be downloaded by iPhone/iPod Touch users for free from the Apple App Store.
[FULL STORY]
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In Dealer magazine
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Auto Show season – Are you ready?
by Jack Bennett
I know it’s winter in most of the country, but during winter and specifically the early months of the new year are when the bulk of the auto shows occur. Yep, it’s that time of year again – auto show time. Are you ready? Are your managers ready? And is your sales staff ready? We know that auto shows bring out people. Some shoppers, some tire kickers and some buyers. Who needs the first two? The tire kickers and shoppers? We do because they are eventually going to be buyers. Every person or nearly every person who walks into an auto show drove there in a car, truck or an SUV. And some day that will need to be replaced. Don’t ever forget that. It is a difficult time in the business, but look around you. It is a difficult time everywhere – for construction workers, landscapers, tradespeople, you name it. But we all have to do what we have to do and auto shows, home shows, and boat shows are just one way (I happen to think the best way) to make sales happen. We had a heck of a roller coaster ride this year and (at the time of this writing) predict 10 to 11 million units, not including used. I have said this many times before and will say it again…“The truth is, this is the auto industry, we will survive and flourish… there is no option.” Read more
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ARCHIVE
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Issue 18
December 9, 2009
Vol. 2
Issue 18
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Issue 17
December 2, 2009
Vol. 2
Issue 17
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Issue 16
November 25, 2009
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Issue 16
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Issue 15
November 18, 2009
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Issue 15
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Issue 14
November 11, 2009
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Issue 14
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Issue 13
November 4, 2009
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Issue 13
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Issue 12
October 28, 2009
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Issue 12
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Issue 11
October 21, 2009
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Issue 10
October 14, 2009
Vol. 2
Issue 10
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Issue 9
October 7, 2009
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Issue 9
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Issue 8
September 30, 2009
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Issue 7
September 23, 2009
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Issue 6
September 16, 2009
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Issue 5
September 9, 2009
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Issue 4
September 2, 2009
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Issue 4
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Issue 3
August 26, 2009
Vol. 2
Issue 3
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Issue 2
August 19, 2009
Vol. 2
Issue 2
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Issue 1
August 12, 2009
Vol. 2
Issue 1
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Issue 52
August 5, 2009
Vol. 1
Issue 52
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Issue 51
July 29, 2009
Vol. 1
Issue 51
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