Market EyeQ users can now automate behavior-based predictive marketing campaigns to pre-owned car buyers and utilize Manheim Market Reports to evaluate trade-in vehicles based on real time auction prices.

NEW YORK (August 26, 2020)  automotiveMastermind®, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO) and a leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for dealerships and manufacturers, today announced the integration of pre-owned vehicle functionality with the Manheim Market Report (MMR) wholesale vehicle values within its Market EyeQ sales platform.

Market EyeQ’s pre-owned functionality allows dealers to unlock additional sales opportunities by matching customers of pre-owned vehicles with relevant offers through the platform’s behavior-based predictive marketing campaigns. With the update, dealer partners can map their new and pre-owned vehicle inventories to prospective car buyers, which Market EyeQ identifies for dealers from the same platform, improving the accuracy of their marketing outreach to help them sell vehicles more efficiently.

With dealers across the U.S. experiencing new and used vehicle inventory challenges due to production and sales disruptions from COVID-19 impacts, having accurate vehicle valuations greatly simplifies the trade-in process. Including MMR as a valuation option can give dealers greater confidence in knowing the value of potential trade-in vehicles, since MMR values are derived from a non-editorialized, statistical analysis of in-lane and digital wholesale vehicle transactions.

These Market EyeQ platform enhancements come at the same time as sales of pre-owned vehicles surpass pre-virus forecasts and as many dealers cope with new vehicle inventory shortages. Combined, the product updates empower dealers to both meet changing consumer demands and maximize their inventory.

“Everything we do at Mastermind is built on a strong foundation of accurate, expansive data,” said Mastermind Co-Founder and CEO Marco Schnabl. “The additions of the pre-owned functionality and MMR utilization to our Market EyeQ platform are not only timely and relevant to the current market conditions, but more importantly, they empower our dealer partners to effectively match consumers with the most relevant pre-owned vehicle offers based on accurate vehicle valuations. Mastermind is committed to fast-tracking the innovation of our product by building on our strong base of the highest quality data to help dealers create lasting relationships with customers and ultimately sell more cars.”

“Providing the industry’s most trusted wholesale vehicle values to the market is a top priority for Manheim,” said Zach Hallowell, vice president, Manheim Digital Marketplace. “MMR is the gold standard valuation tool used by tens of thousands of consignors and dealers to assess millions of trade-ins each month. Accurate valuations are especially critical during times of market uncertainty like now. MMR is intentionally designed to be highly stable and avoid over-reacting to short-term market ups and downs and can be used with confidence regardless of market conditions.”

About automotiveMastermind

Founded in 2012, automotiveMastermind, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), is a leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for the automotive industry. Market EyeQ by Mastermind is the single sales platform to identify, communicate with and close every buyer in a local market. Mastermind is headquartered in New York City and San Francisco. For more information, visit automotivemastermind.com. Based in London, IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

About Manheim

Manheim, the nation’s leading provider of end-to-end wholesale vehicle solutions, is celebrating 75 years as an industry innovator, driving success for clients, the company, its employees and the industry. The dream of five men who auctioned off a handful of cars in 1945 from a single-lane location in Manheim, Pennsylvania launched a company that today offers 7 million used vehicles annually and facilitates transactions representing nearly $67 billion in value with the grit and determination of our team members. Through its physical, mobile and digital sales network, Manheim offers services for decisioning, buying and selling, floor planning, logistics, assurance and reconditioning. Operating the largest vehicle wholesale marketplace, Manheim enables clients more efficient ways to connect and transact business how and when they want. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com/.

NEW YORK (July 13, 2020) - automotiveMastermind®, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO) and a leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for dealerships and manufacturers, has hired two new executives and promoted one to add to its leadership team.

Charity Taylor joins the team as vice president of data analytics, and Matt Leone joins as chief operating officer leading the operations, finance and human resources teams. Mastermind has promoted Tomy Szczypiorski from national enterprise account director to vice president of national enterprise accounts. The addition and promotion of these seasoned professionals will play a vital role as the company continues to accelerate.

Taylor has been working in the automotive industry for over 20 years, beginning her career supporting a variety of departments at General Motors with her finance background. She then spent more than 12 years making data driven decisions at J.D. Power, helping the company provide real-time estimation of retail sales, incentive spending and transaction pricing. With her industry background, she will help the organization refine the use of third-party data to support product advancement and improve sales efficiency for Mastermind clients.

Prior to joining Mastermind, Leone was the chief operating officer for HotSchedules, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) providing HR services for the hospitality industry. His background in the SaaS industry will help Mastermind be more effective and efficient long-term, as well as support overall employee culture and growth.

Szczypiorski joined the company in 2018 as the director of strategic partnerships. Prior to Mastermind, he spent two years with the digital marketing solutions provider, Dealer.com. His automotive experience, along with owning his own business, gave him concrete sales and solutions acumen. In his new role as vice president of national enterprise accounts, he will oversee the enterprise account team, working to strengthen and broaden relationships with current and future dealer group partnerships.

The addition and promotion of these seasoned professionals will play a vital role as Mastermind continues to invest in the expansion of its product offering and team to provide increased value to dealer partners.

“The best data and the best people are Mastermind’s most important assets,” said Mastermind co-founder and CEO Marco Schnabl. “I look forward to collaborating with Matt and Charity to continue building a team of the industry’s best so Mastermind remains a leader in providing behavior prediction technology and predictive marketing analytics to the automotive industry. Tomy has been a great member of our team for the past few years, and I’m confident he’ll continue building on the value he’s provided to our dealer partners in this new role.”

About automotiveMastermind

Founded in 2012, automotiveMastermind, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), is a leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for the automotive industry. Market EyeQ by Mastermind is the single sales platform to identify, communicate with and close every buyer in a local market. Mastermind is headquartered in New York City and San Francisco. For more information, visit automotivemastermind.com. Based in London, IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

LAGUNA HILLS, CA (May 27, 2020) – Momentum CRM, a premier automotive CRM solution, has teamed up with automotiveMastermind (Mastermind), a leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for the automotive industry, to set the new standard in CRM integrations.

Momentum CRM recently elevated its user interface to include a dedicated section within its dashboard for Mastermind’s predictive analytics data through Market EyeQ, the company’s sales and marketing platform. This enhanced integration will provide the companies’ mutual clients with a strategic advantage and seamless end-user experience. The integration comes as an addition to already existing enhancements, such as two-way notes integration and more.

The Market EyeQ platform coupled with Momentum CRM allows dealers to easily access detailed customer information, including:

• Customers’ Behavior Prediction Score® (BPS) – a 0-100 ranking system generated by Mastermind’s proprietary algorithms that identifies consumers who are ready to purchase, enabling dealers to focus on high-potential customers
• Deal type
• Customers’ vehicle history, including vehicle mileage

The integration allows automotive retailers to maximize opportunities with current customers and leads, ultimately leading to more closed deals every month directly out of their CRM.

“At Mastermind, we pride ourselves on providing unrivaled data and intelligence that easily integrates into any CRM or DMS platform,” said Joe Kacala, Chief Product Officer at automotiveMastermind. “We applaud Momentum CRM for seeing the value in going beyond a standard integration and featuring actionable Mastermind data front and center in their interface to empower our mutual dealer partners to more easily identify, communicate with and close every potential buyer in their market through the combined power of Momentum CRM and Market EyeQ.”

“We wanted to elevate our user experience, and we decided it only made sense to partner with a market leader like automotiveMastermind,” said Jerman Velasquez, Chief Product Strategist for Momentum CRM. “With limited resources at the dealer level, we want to make sure our integrations empower our clients to do more, sell more and be more effective when working with their clients. We’re confident this enhanced integration of Market EyeQ into our platform will help our dealer partners do exactly that.”

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About Momentum CRM

Momentum CRM was created with a true ear to the industry and a vision for the future, working with the top dealers in the country to achieve more sales while improving customer loyalty. Providing a single CRM solution for all departments, Momentum CRM's unparalleled implementation and integrations, combined with ongoing training and mentoring, has helped dealerships nationwide increase customer retention and brand loyalty. For more information, visit crmomentum.com. As one of the few privately held automotive CRMs in the automotive industry, Momentum CRM has the flexibility and agility to move with your business.

About automotiveMastermind

Founded in 2012, automotiveMastermind, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), is a leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for the automotive industry. Market EyeQ by Mastermind is the single sales platform to identify, communicate with and close every buyer in a local market. Mastermind is headquartered in New York City and San Francisco. For more information, visit automotivemastermind.com. Based in London, IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

Facebook showcases Digital Air Strike’s impressive results leveraging Dynamic Click to Marketplace Advertising

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., – (May 20, 2020) Digital Air Strike, the leading consumer engagement technology company, is helping businesses leverage increased traffic on social media during COVID-19. The company’s social media marketing and advertising technology on Facebook during shelter-in-place mandates are delivering new customers, increased website traffic, and more sales to businesses across the country. 

Digital Air Strike was chosen by Facebook for a limited beta test to determine whether dynamic ad clicks to Facebook Marketplace, instead of to a dealer’s website, increased leads. The pilot business, Brown’s Toyota of Glen Burnie in Maryland, saw four times more impressions, 1.5 times more views and a 33% reduction in cost per view. The results are so compelling Facebook turned them into a case study for the Click to Marketplace ads.

“We’ve found that businesses that understand and leverage the power of social media are better able to reach their consumers during the pandemic,” said Alexi Venneri, co-founder and CEO of Digital Air Strike. “Even in states with the strictest pandemic-related restrictions, people are still shopping and buying online. Businesses that target consumers on Facebook to build their pipeline, explain new protocols, and advertise adjusted hours of operations, safety measures and delivery options, are getting excellent results.”

Digital Air Strike’s team is seeing great results across the country, including with DeLillo Chevrolet in Huntington Beach, California. The program included posting COVID-19 announcements on DeLillo Chevrolet’s Facebook page, responding and engaging with comments on the posts, and alerting the business to new comments and questions so they could quickly follow up and sell cars. The dealership saw a more than 100% increase in website traffic, more than doubled the number of new customers who visited the dealer’s Facebook page and website and sold several vehicles from the new Facebook traffic.  

“In Google Analytics, we have noticed a surge in Facebook visits to our website,” said Bill Demarest, marketing manager/customer relations for DeLillo Chevrolet. “This all came from the posts that Digital Air Strike has been doing for us. I highly recommend Digital Air Strike for social media marketing.” 

Along with consistent, creative and engaging social posts, Digital Air Strike provides targeted, double opt-in advertising options that help dealers reach interested car buyers on Facebook. Jacksonville CDJR in Jacksonville, Florida, sold the highest number of cars in the company’s history in March 2020. The dealer advertised using Digital Air Strike’s VDP Power Social Program which directs car buyers to vehicle detail pages (VDP) on the dealership’s website. The ads first focused on used cars and then on new cars since the first campaign was so successful. 

“Digital Air Strike’s VDP Power Social Program was the reason my used car sales went through the roof,” said Ken Kovacs, owner and General Manager of Jacksonville CDJR (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram). “That’s why I doubled my social advertising budget and decided to focus on attracting new car buyers even during these unusual times. Digital Air Strike is super responsive too.” 

Digital Air Strike’s Facebook ads campaign for Toyota Sunnyvale in Sunnyvale, California also saw great results. In just two weeks, they sold seven vehicles, had 600 website clicks, saw over 130,000 impressions, and reached almost 17,000 people. 

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a March 18th call with journalists that people across the country had increased the time they spent using Facebook-owned apps by more than 70% since the lockdown began. That number has only risen as more people have been mandated to stay home across the U.S.

Social media marketing is part of Digital Air Strike’s Virtual Retailing Program which helps businesses adapt to the new requirement of consumers needing responsive new ways to be able to research, shop and transact from home. Along with social media, Virtual Retailing also includes the use of video lead response, AI, automation, text messaging, and training teams on new safety measures. Digital Air Strike is offering their Video Logix solution at no cost for 30 days to all businesses that need help during the pandemic.

About Digital Air Strike

Digital Air Strike is the leading social media, intelligent lead response, and consumer engagement technology company helping over 5,000 businesses increase consumer response and conversions in digital and social media environments while generating measurable ROI. A pioneer in digital response, social media marketing and online reputation management solutions, Digital Air Strike deploys industry specific mobile apps, software, intelligent messaging and managed service platforms to monitor, engage, improve and manage consumer interactions for thousands of businesses in the United States, Canada and 11 additional countries, including working with seven of the largest automotive manufacturers. More information is available at: www.digitalairstrike.com 

and www.facebook.com/digitalairstrike.

Source Digital, a leader in providing innovative video advertising, announces a partnership with Powerband Solutions

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – (May 20, 2020) – Source Digital announces a new partnership with Powerband Solutions. Source Digital will be providing the in-video advertising platform that will allow Powerband Solutions to provide car buying and financing through an enhanced viewer experience, while helping customers improve their return on investment. The revolutionary advertising platform is slated to offer a more engaging and enjoyable experience for users and customers alike.

“We are happy to announce our partnership with Powerband Solutions,” explains Hank Frecon, the chief executive officer of Source Digital. “We trust that we will bring value to their system and provide a better user experience at the same time.”

Source Digital’s platform is essentially revolutionizing video advertising. Based on the fact that viewers had become disengaged and impatient with video advertising, they set out to transform and make it a better experience. The company spent seven years working on creating a video advertising system that would engage viewers, without disrupting their experience.

For advertisers, the Source Digital platform provides a solid way to increase their return on investment, build brand recognition, and be able to engage consumers. The platform tackles the problems of stagnation and viewers drifting as the ads come on. Using thousands of data points about consumer behavior, the platform engages consumers at the most opportune moments, leading to an increase in sales and engagement.

Powerband Solutions is an online tool for vehicle sales. Source Digital will play an important role by enhancing the software and creating a more engaged experience for viewers. The advertising platform will deliver an entire car loan approval process into consumer videos, while they continue to watch.

“This partnership is going to be a good fit for both of our companies, as well as for consumers,” added Frecon. “We look forward to a long-lasting relationship with Powerband Solutions.”

Source Digital has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies to help create a more engaging and effective video advertising experience. The Source network is able to pull targeted content from a variety of sources, including NBC Universal, Golf, LiveNation, MotorTrend, and many influencers that are associated with professional sports. To learn more about Source Digital, visit: www.sourcedigital.net.

About Source Digital

Source Digital is an immersive commerce and advanced advertising platform, designed for the video content creator, brands, and product companies to monetize viewers through real-time engagement of anything in the video. Completely agnostic to any device or screen, Source allows the acquisition of anything in the video through clicking, talking, touching, and listening. Visit the site at: www.sourcedigital.net.

About Powerband Solutions

PowerBand Solutions Inc., listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the OTCQB markets, is a fintech provider disrupting the automotive industry. PowerBand's integrated, cloud-based transaction platform facilitates transactions among consumers, dealers, funders and manufacturers (OEMs). It enables them to buy, sell, trade, finance, and lease new and used, electric- and non-electric vehicles, on smartphones or any other online digital devices, from any location. PowerBand's transaction platform - trademarked under DRIVRZ - is being made available across North American and global markets. To learn more, visit the site: www.powerbandsolutions.com.

• TrueCar Exclusive Military Appreciation Package Includes:
• •  - Up to $2,000 in automaker Military Incentives on select brands and models
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• •  - Up to $4,000 in repair and auto deductible reimbursement benefits
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  •  - Dedicated Military Customer Service Hotline based in the U.S.
• TrueCar Military is available to:
  • Active duty service members of the U.S. armed forces, veterans, military retirees, and their families.
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• TrueCar expands partnerships with Team RWB (Red, White & Blue) and DAV (Disabled American Veterans) in support of military initiatives.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TrueCar, Inc., the most efficient and transparent online destination to find a car, today launched ‘TrueCar Military,’ a dedicated vehicle purchase program that provides exclusive Military Incentives and benefits, on top of TrueCar’s existing benefits, to those who have served our country’s armed forces and their families. TrueCar Military is an expansion of TrueCar’s work helping the military community find and purchase their vehicles at TrueCar network dealers for over thirteen years via leading military affinity partnership organizations.

Key benefits of TrueCar Military:

• Up to $2,000 in automaker Military Incentives on select brands and models from BMW, MINI, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Ram and Nissan
• Up to $4,000 in repair and auto deductible reimbursement benefits
• Dedicated Military Customer Service Hotline based in the U.S. to answer and resolve customer service inquiries
• Plus all the existing TrueCar benefits which includes over $3,400 average savings off MSRP, helping consumers find all the incentives they qualify for, and getting the actual price for the vehicle they want online

“There is no higher honor than to give back to our nation’s service men and women and their families who have sacrificed so much for our country,” said Mike Darrow, President & CEO of TrueCar. “We have connected millions of members of the military community with our network of Certified Dealers to find their vehicle over the past thirteen years. We’re now devoted to expanding that service to the broader military community and are excited to offer these new benefits and savings to them and their families. We will continue to evolve our offering and tailor our service to best meet their needs.”

TrueCar and its employees developed a passion for the military community from over a decade of serving military members and their families through affinity partnerships with leading banking, insurance and credit union partners. This inspired the creation of DrivenToDrive in 2017, TrueCar’s employee led, corporate giving initiative, that provides retrofitted vehicles to veterans in need. Through DrivenToDrive, TrueCar has partnered with Team RWB and DAV to give away four vehicles retrofitted to veterans in need. Earlier this year, TrueCar also launched a military hiring program in partnership with Shift.org. The program helps place active duty military transitioning into civilian life into paid fellowships and jobs at TrueCar.

TrueCar is also delighted to announce it has expanded its partnership with Team RWB to help raise awareness of TrueCar Military and DrivenToDrive.  TrueCar was a sponsor of Team RWB’s Old Glory Relay in 2017 in connection with DrivenToDrive, and supports their mission of connecting America's veterans to their communities through physical and social activity.

“TrueCar has a long history of servicing and supporting the military, and we’re excited to see them step up again by expanding their military initiatives and supporting our organization,” said Mike Erwin, Executive Director of Team RWB. “Partnerships like this enable us to bring our mission to more communities across the country and introduce veterans to the companies who support and appreciate their sacrifices.”

DAV, which provides a lifetime of support for veterans and their families, has been TrueCar’s DrivenToDrive partner since 2017. DAV will continue its support of this initiative and TrueCar’s broader support of the military community.

“We’re honored to partner with TrueCar to honor the service and sacrifice of all veterans,” said Marc Burgess, DAV’s CEO and National Adjutant. “In addition to the value they provide those who’ve served through their program, we’re grateful for their partnership that supports our service programs while giving back the freedom of driving to those forever changed in uniform.”

TrueCar Military is available to all U.S. active duty service men and women, military retirees, veterans, and their spouses. TrueCar has partnered with ID.me, a leader in secure identity validation that is trusted by over 20MM people and 450 partners including government agencies, healthcare providers and retailers to authenticate military status for program eligibility.

For more information on TrueCar Military, please visit http://www.truecar.com/military

Podium Starter helps qualifying local businesses adapt to the new normal by leveraging a powerful suite of introductory tools at no cost

LEHI, Utah – April 29, 2020 –  Podium, the leading customer messaging platform for local businesses, today announced that Podium Starter is now available to local businesses in the United States. Created as a response to wanting to assist local businesses’ recovery from COVID-19, the free suite of tools is designed to enable local businesses to adapt to the new normal by being able to quickly and easily get a start on texting their customers.

Podium Starter combines the fundamental benefits of its best-in-class suite of messaging tools into a free, basic starter pack for the first time. Designed specifically for local businesses, companies can set up Podium Starter and begin messaging customers in under five minutes through a simple self-service portal. After that, businesses will instantly have the tools to start customer messaging, contact-free mobile payments and webchat using texting and messaging channels that customers use and trust.

“The need for local business isn’t going anywhere, and we understand the immense challenge that these entrepreneurs are facing right now,” said Eric Rea, co-founder and CEO at Podium. “By offering a free introductory version for the first time, we’re aiming to make it possible for every local business to message their customers at a time when they need it most. We’ve already seen some success with our trial run through our text-to-takeout restaurant program in Utah, and we’re excited to see businesses across the country take advantage of our latest offering.”

Podium Starter’s essential tools can help local businesses get a start on building and maintaining contact with their customers and operating via text, including:

●  Staying open despite low foot traffic – Companies can utilize text to do business — sending pictures, answering questions, coordinating and more — without opening their doors.

●  Accepting safe, no-contact payments – Customers can pay without handing a card over, touching a credit card reader or using a pen to sign a receipt.

●  Enabling texts right away – Podium Starter is easy to use and free, and businesses can begin texting customers within minutes of signing up.

"Leaning on Podium's platform to help run our business has really helped us keep going as we had to recently shut down the dine-in portion of our operations," said Sun Choi, an owner of Yummy's, a family-owned Korean barbecue restaurant. "We have continued to stay connected and serve our customers through Podium's new free service, which lets everyone keep a safe distance while still supporting our business."

In just over five years, the Podium platform has been used by half of all smartphone owners in the United States to interact with a local business. Podium now has 45,000 businesses utilizing the platform across the United States, Canada and Australia, ranging from single-location SMBs to large enterprise companies with thousands of physical locations.

To find out more and sign up for Podium Starter, visit podium.com/starter.

About Podium

Podium is a customer messaging platform that enables companies with a local presence to conveniently connect with their customers at critical touchpoints to help them strengthen their business. By conveniently facilitating millions of customer interactions, such as driving customer-generated online reviews and providing improved customer messaging tools, Podium serves more than 45,000 local businesses in the United States, Canada and Australia. Headquartered in Lehi, Utah, and founded in 2014, Podium is currently backed by YC Continuity, Sapphire Ventures, Alkeon Capital, Recruit Co. Ltd., IVP, Accel, Summit Partners and GV. To learn more, visit www.podium.com or contact us at press@podium.com

Dealerships can create personalized videos for customers directly through
Mastermind’s automotive sales platform

NEW YORK (April 21, 2020) – automotiveMastermind®, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO) and a leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for dealerships and manufacturers, has partnered with Covideo, a video communication solution for businesses, to create a new product feature that further supports dealerships in connecting with and helping customers during coronavirus disruptions and beyond.

Covideo allows users to create personalized, one-to-one videos that can be sent to customers via a variety of platforms. Covideo also provides real-time notifications, engagement metrics and detailed reporting.

The Covideo-powered feature named “Video Messenger” will live directly within Mastermind’s automotive sales platform, Market EyeQ, where dealerships already have access to all publicly available current and prospective customer data in their markets. Sending a personalized video from the same platform where dealerships can access all customer data will make the workflow smoother and more seamless.

“Providing the best support possible to our dealership partners is always our number one priority at Mastermind, but with dealerships’ current hardships, we’re laser-focused on finding innovative solutions to help them drive sales,” said Mastermind Co-Founder and CEO Marco Schnabl. “Video Messenger will help dealership sales teams personalize their communications with consumers, providing immense value and a much-needed human connection. We appreciate the Covideo team for partnering with us to help dealerships support their communities during the coronavirus crisis and beyond.”

Dealer partners who use the Video Messenger feature can have sales reps record personalized videos that are sent directly through the Market EyeQ platform and delivered via email. The recipient will receive a GIF in the email that links to the actual video hosted on an OEM-branded template.

“We’re confident our dealer partners who choose to use Video Messenger in Market EyeQ will see the benefit of how personalized messages will help build trust and loyalty with current and potential customers,” said Mastermind Chief Product Officer Joe Kacala. “Since many dealerships have needed to close their showroom, a perfect use for Video Messenger is to send personalized videos to their customers since car sales are largely relationship based. This will really help dealers stand apart from their competitors during this time. We see immense potential for dealerships to use Video Messenger, and we encourage dealership sales team to embrace video as a creative way to support customers now and once all showroom floors across the country are once again open for business.”

Video Messenger went live on April 21, 2020.

“Now more than ever, it’s critical that businesses are staying connected and communicating with their customers, and Covideo will provide that support to Mastermind’s dealership partners,” said Jason Price, Co-Founder and CEO at Covideo. “Touchless doesn’t have to be human less. One of the best parts of Covideo is it’s very easy to use, so dealership sales teams don’t have to worry about spending a ton of time on training. Integrating videos into their communications process through Market EyeQ will give dealerships a leg up on competitors who aren’t focused on personalized communication now or in the future.”
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About automotiveMastermind

Founded in 2012, automotiveMastermind, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), is a leading provider of predictive analytics and marketing automation solutions for the automotive industry. Market EyeQ by Mastermind is the single sales platform to identify, communicate with and close every buyer in a local market. Mastermind is headquartered in New York City and San Francisco. For more information, visit automotivemastermind.com. Based in London, IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

About Covideo

Covideo is a market leader in video messaging, used by thousands of businesses worldwide. Through Covideo, sales and service professionals can record, send and track videos across a variety of channels allowing them to build relationships and convert leads into customers. With an emphasis on personalization and personal connection, Covideo is helping people reimagine business communication. Visit covideo.com for more information.

RelayCars®, the virtual reality car shopping experience, now allows users to visit a virtual showroom from a desktop device

LOS ANGELES (April 16, 2020) – RelayCars, the virtual reality (VR) car shopping experience, powered by EVOX Images®, today announced the expansion of its website to include their virtual showroom. Up until now, RelayCars’ immersive technology has been accessible via mobile app on smartphones, tablets, or corresponding headsets. This website relaunch comes at a time when many dealerships are closed and individuals are still looking for proper ways to research a future vehicle from home. RelayCars features the most expansive, high-quality VR automotive library on the market, allowing users to take a virtual tour of any vehicle category, year, make, and model from EVOX Images’ extensive database.

Upon visiting the new RelayCars website, users have the ability to:

• Choose make, model, year, and trim for any vehicle in the RelayCars library, starting with model year 2015
• View realistic, interactive exterior and interior 360º views of vehicles in a large screen format
• Select any manufacturer-specific color and view it in three selectable angles
• View standard vehicle data such as trim detail and drivetrain
• Learn about the additional suite of downloadable apps from RelayCars and view trailers for each

“During this period of uncertainty, we are working hard to navigate through the changes in our daily routines and processes,” stated Gina Callari, EVOX Images/RelayCars COO. “While we stay safe at home and wait for dealers to open their doors again, we are excited to make our online car shopping technology even more accessible for customers.”

To experience this new website from home, users can visit vr.relaycars.com. Additionally, users can download the free RelayCars app from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

About RelayCars®

Featuring the most expansive and high-quality VR automotive library on the market, RelayCars is a virtual reality suite of apps and website experience that allows both enterprise and general consumer users to explore the interior and exterior of thousands of different vehicles via smartphone, tablet, web or VR headset. The app is available for free on iOS, Android, Oculus, Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR and Microsoft MR. RelayCars is powered by EVOX Images, the leader in large-scale global image solutions with a focus on automotive VR and AR, using its unmatched CGI and photography capabilities. For more information on RelayCars, please visit www.relaycars.com or follow RelayCars on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

[Update 3/6/2020]

I recently had a conversation with CarGurus.  They wanted to set the record straight on some of the information listed in the email below.  Here is their response:

"There is a lot of misinformation floating around right now. This letter is a prime example, and we wanted to set the record straight with the actual truth: 

-          CarGurus and Carvana are not owned by the same firm. We're both publicly traded companies and ownership information is easy to find.

-          Shoppers' information went only to the dealer whose lead form they filled out. CarGurus never sold or gave shoppers' information to Carvana or any other dealers.

The start of the issue was a test we ran as part of our goal of building a cash offers product that we could offer to all dealers. As part of that testing, we worked with Carvana because they had the scale and technology to let us test quickly. The one thing the letter gets right is that we did hear our dealers' feedback. What we learned is that we misjudged how polarizing Carvana is to dealerships. Once we heard dealers' concerns, we immediately took the cash offers test off of dealer VDPs and confirmation emails.

Another thing we learned is that we are on the right track: dealers are interested in new inventory acquisition channels. We're going to continue testing a cash offers program, but with more carefully chosen partners.

CarGurus values all of our dealer partners, and we will continue to innovate and build new products and programs to help you succeed. Integrity is central to our company. We commit to you that we are going to do a better job listening and getting your feedback on new product initiatives. As part of that listening and getting feedback, those with questions can either reach out to their CarGurus rep or email FAQ@cargurus.com."

I've hesitated in posting something about this until now, but as we uncover more about the relationship between CarGurus and Carvana, it is hard to avoid.  Almost every vendor uses the mantra, "we don't want to be a vendor, we want to be a partner."  When does this partnership become a problem?

I recently received an email from a dealer that was forwarded to him by his CPA.  Here is that email:

Group

During NADA a dealer client and I met with Car Gurus.  The dealer was quite upset because he had just learned that Car Gurus was soliciting his customers’ trades offering to pay more while the customers were in his dealership.  Car Gurus and Carvana are owned by the same firm.  

The Cargurus senior person at NADA did not deny this happened and said it had been a trial program which was a mistake and apologized.  However now the entire Cargurus/Carvana loyalty to dealers is in question.  Carvana has always been perceived as a threat but this takes it to another level.  

My client received the alert below from another dealer.  You may want to discuss with your dealers whether they are using Cargurus and alert them to this unethical behavior and whether they want to continue paying them money every month.  My client cancelled his subscription with them.

DrivingSales strives to remain vendor-neutral.  We don't advocate any specific products or solutioins.  In fact, rarely does one size fit all. 

I feel this needs situation to be addressed. It would be one thing if Caravana were a franchise dealer group and not a disrupter in the space.  

What are your thoughts?  Has CarGurus gone too far?