PureCars
PURECARS AND ASBURY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP EXTEND RELATIONSHIP FOR DIGITAL ADVERTISING SOLUTIONS
Innovation & Collaboration Have Driven Down Advertising Costs While Enhancing the Retail Customer Shopping Experience
PureCars, a leading provider of digital marketing and advertising insights for automotive dealers, today announced it has extended its relationship to provide digital advertising services to Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: ABG), one of the largest automotive retail and service companies in the U.S.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic many automotive retailers began reevaluating how they advertise, which channels and on which platforms, and identifying the right partners to work with in identifying the best ways to improve their digital advertising strategies and lower their overall cost per unit of ads sold. This key metric helps to identify the ultimate ROI in driving greater advertising expenditure efficiencies in producing vehicle sales.
The two companies began working together in 2011 and evolved into PureCars offering a Software-as-a-Services (SaaS)-based digital advertising solution to help Asbury improve its digital advertising efficiencies while lowering their cost per vehicle and RO. Together with PureCars, Asbury concentrated on cost efficiency in 2020 and it has paid off. Asbury saw Year over Year (YoY) cost efficiency gains across New, Used/CPO, and Service-related campaign segments, freeing up significant funds to reinvest in operations.
Key to the relationship has been PureCars’ SaaS offering, which is complemented by seasoned automotive industry expertise-driven human capital. This approach originally filled the need found at the largest retailers and their agency partners, but today is leveraged effectively at smaller and more mid-sized retail groups as well.
Today, Asbury and PureCars collaborate on over 90 retail rooftops combing SaaS and human capital for a comprehensive competitive advantage, including group sites for used vehicles and unique parts shopping experiences.
“Asbury and PureCars have been strong partners over the years and together we have broken the mold of the traditional vendor/dealer relationship,” said Jeremy Anspach, CEO of PureCars. “Our collaborative efforts have fostered a data-driven environment of measure-optimize-repeat to continuously improve efficiencies over time, driving a dramatically lower cost per vehicle sold, as well as the cost per RO. Furthermore, we have successfully navigated the constantly changing automotive landscape while identifying programs that benefit OEM partners and retail customers.”
“We’re proud of the accomplishments our two companies have produced and PureCars has found a way to help us push the business envelop through technology and innovation while never forgetting the car shopper’s experience,” said Miran Maric, VP & Chief Marketing Officer at Asbury Automotive Group. “The efficiencies and savings created have allowed us to produce highly effective customer-facing resources such as PushStart, further revolutionizing the car-shopper experience.”
About Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.
Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. ("Asbury"), a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Duluth, GA, is one of the largest automotive retailers in the U.S. Asbury currently operates 91 dealerships, consisting of 114 franchises, representing 31 domestic and foreign brands of vehicles. Asbury also operates 25 collision repair centers. Asbury offers customers an extensive range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicle sales and related financing and insurance, vehicle maintenance and repair services, replacement parts and service contracts.
About PureCars
Get stronger, smarter intelligence with PureCars. Our proprietary automotive digital marketing platform is built on the expertise of a wide range of car people — from data scientists to digital advertising experts — working relentlessly to ensure your dealership keeps growing. We make decisions rooted in strategy, not speculation, and have the proof in every penny.
Take your numbers to the next level with our comprehensive suite of solutions that address every aspect of your business, from sales to fixed ops. With PureCars, you outperform the competition and are prepared for the road ahead. Learn more at www.purecars.com.
PureCars
How Dealers Can Successfully Tap into Election Cycle Digital Advertising
An estimated $400 million1 worth of presidential campaign advertising, and possibly more, is likely to hit Americans’ television programming over the next few weeks as the race for the Presidential election heats up. These numbers, reported recently in The Wall Street Journal, show just how important advertising has become today to persuade millions of voters.
Advertising has become as much a part of the election season as its impact usually is on the Super Bowl. Early forecasts showed political ad spending will total $9.9 billion in total during 2020, according to an advertising forecast2 from WPP PLC’s ad-buying unit GroupM also published in The Wall Street Journal.
The benefit of tapping into election cycle advertising cycles
Auto dealers recognize that many viewers, who are also potential car-shoppers, are tuned into their televisions and realize this to be an opportune time to capture mindshare, especially in a year that has seen millions of car sales washed away by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, dealers also realize the cost to advertise also increases around each November election, but it’s not always because of the election that these costs tend to increase.
With each major election taking place in November, dealers are also up against a flurry of retailers who are also tapping into holiday and end-of-year sales promotions. This push often results in higher prices for advertising not only on television, but also online and for social marketing as well.
Social Marketing costs are also expected to rise
In fact, according to a report by Kantar Media, the current president and many others on the ballot have been active themselves advertising on Facebook, with approximately $37.6 million3 already spent on social media marketing during the first six months of 2019, versus $2.2 million spent on television ads. This emphasis on social and digital advertising is expected to continue through this November.
An analysis by PureCars found that during the 2016 November election, digital ad clicks (CPC) rose as much as 29%-64% in the second half of the year.
Tips to help dealers successfully advertise during election seasons
How can dealers successfully tap into the election cycle? For starters they should be especially focused on local keywords in all their digital advertising to optimize their efforts and see the largest possible return on their investment. They should also work closely with their account representatives and be wary of having their ads placed near or in affiliation with false, misleading or abusive political advertising. “Political fatigue” is certainly a thing at this time of year, and many consumers may actually seek out non-political content online or in their favorite social platform.
Dealers may also want to consider starting their schedules a few weeks AFTER the election is completed. This way they will still take advantage of more people tuning in for post-election analysis but may avoid the heightened rates.
Dealers should also consider video to reach consumers at this time of year. Many consumers online and using social channels connect well with video content, and in a year when empathy has been a primary message, video has helped dealers connect with potential car shoppers on a more emotional level. This will remain through the end of the year as the pandemic continues to impact the broader economy.
Flexibility is also key this time of year and around election season. Dealers will want to work with digital media counterparts and have several different placement options available to choose from as ads and ad placement options are continuously shuffled. It is also a good idea to ask for alternate options from the media outlet for in-content opportunities and promotions across all digital channels and exposure placements.
While the cost of digital advertising is expected to rise in the coming months, dealers can leverage these tips to maximize their advertising investment to connect, engage, and transact with car shoppers so they can make the most of their 2020 sales goals through the end of the year.
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