DealerRefresh

Obstacles, Observations and Opinions of an Automotive Internet Sales & Marketing Manager

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NADA Deal Sheet: Offers, Deals, Discounts, Promotions at the 2019 NADA Conference

Some dealers go to NADA and never step into the Expo. Some have a shopping list. Others want to see their current vendor and get the latest product releases.

Whatever your plans are, the deals this year cannot go unnoticed. Exhibitors are going all out to grab a dealer’s attention. Many have prepared months in advance for this event and some see this as their Black Friday.

Every year there is a theme depending on what is happening in the marketplace. Remember when the Internet first launched as a viable medium to reach car shoppers? The hall was loaded with lead generation companies. I will never forget Stone Age. Their booth looked like a movie set from Meet The Flintstones.

This year’s theme is still digital but with a big dollop of AI. It’s a more matured, focused, data-intrinsic category today. They parse the data, provide deep analytics and “speak”  one to one to an ever-treasured, interminably-elusive in-market shopper. I am going to check out one vendor that says they can take anonymous traffic on your website and actualize it to a real person. GDPR? Not here in the USA!

Video is finally getting the show it deserves. There are many solutions to choose from and many vendors are trying really hard not to make it complicated. Get with this program. Consumers love it.

New revenue streams, like ride-sharing and subscriptions, are low-key at the show. If I were a dealer I would check them out. This will be big. OEM’s are massive on the subject. You can be your own Uber with money you never had on your balance sheet before. Shhh!

[Read more…]

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2019 Automotive Predictions

Welcome back for another 2019 automotive predictions post. It appears 2018’s final automotive sales number will come in at approximately 17.2 million vehicles amid a mixed sales environment. The four interest rate increases last year may have slowed progress while the tax reform efforts had a positive impact.

2019 is expected to show approximately 16.7 million vehicles sold. This would be the first time in five years that US sales dipped below the 17 million unit mark. Light vehicle sales continued the year-end downward trend approximately 1.2% lower in 2018 and are expected to fall .6% – 1% in 2019 according to Moody’s. Look for the CUV/small and light truck segment to continue its sales momentum this year.

A potential contributor to new 2019 vehicle sales could be rising used car prices. Off-lease vehicles have attracted buyers, but their prices spiked in recent months. Shoppers will continue to look at the cost and value differences in new vs. used vehicles. As this price gap closes, consumers may opt for new vehicles instead.

I noticed a significant improvement in the ways dealers managed their operations last year. Dealers who paid little attention to items such as high-level acquisition and behavior continue to discover the power of the data at their fingertips. Dealers are asking more critical questions and seeing a massive difference between the digital solutions that deliver results and those that don’t. This trend shows no sign of slowing, especially with a tighter market on the horizon.

On to the 2019 automotive predictions… [Read more…]

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Digital Dealer 25 Review with Kevin Frye #DD25

Old Men Reunion at Digital Dealer 25. Barry Brodsky, Amir Ammirrezvani, David Metter and Shaun Raines

“What’s that you say sonny?”

Digital Dealer 25, which means hmmm, how many years?

It must be a lot since my first Digital Dealer (3…) as I got off to a brilliant start when I arrived in sunny Las Vegas to pick up my badge at registration.

“Mr. Frye, we cannot find you anywhere in our system…”.

Guess who forgot to register for DD25?  [Read more…]

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NADA: Internet Advertising tops 50%, TV & Radio Lose

I carefully navigated the NADA website, clicking the button to download one of my favorite semi-annual automotive industry reports.

I had heard the 2017 results were finally available, and I was anxious to dive into the data. I double-clicked to open the report, quickly scrolling to the “Advertising Expenditures” section. And then…my jaw dropped.

I’m not sure why I was so surprised, perhaps it was just affirmation of what I saw starting in the late 1990s: The birth of the internet advertising segment for automobile dealers.

For the past 20-plus years, I’ve relied on the “NADA DATA” report.  If you haven’t used this resource in the past, you definitely should.  It is extremely detailed, reliable (NADA, of course!), and gives you solid summary of the prior year’s results for the automotive industry.  Click here for free downloads from the NADA site: http://bit.ly/NADA-DATA

Here is the stat that dropped my jaw… [Read more…]

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Digital Dealer 24 Review with Kevin Frye #DD24

It’s Five AM on Monday morning when I get up. Between the cat meowing to be fed and the dog whining to go out, it’s time to start the day. It has been a long, cold winter, but it’s April, it can’t be that chilly outside, right? Wait, GREAT GLOBAL WARMING! I just looked out the window and there is SNOW on my truck? It’s time for me to get on a plane and head as far south as I can go in search of warmth and sunshine. Digital Dealer 24 in Orlando, here I come!

Digital Dealer 24 at the Orlando Convention Center

Orlando, home of the adult Disneyland…  Wait, am I getting confused with Las Vegas? Maybe, though after multiple WestPac tours with the US Navy, I think that might be found in either Thailand or the Phillipines. I was excited to return to Orlando which has hosted the east coast Digital Dealer show many times. All prior conferences had been hosted at the Rosen Shingle resort, while DD24 was going to be located at the Orlando Convention Center. How did that work out? [Read more…]

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The Auto Industry Enters Era of Uncertainty

On the wall outside the executive conference room at Cars.com’s headquarters, is a mural. It’s a picture of a two-lane road in the forest that bends abruptly to the left. The turn — which is a bit misty — is so sharp, we can’t see what’s beyond the bend.

CEO and President Alex Vetter says he placed the picture there to remind his executive team it’s their job to see around the bend — even though it’s foggy and the data is imperfect and not clear. As leaders, they have to use their intuition and experience to make educated guesses what is likely to be around that turn.

That picture captures where the auto industry is today…

[Read more…]

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[PODCAST] Industry Dirt, Drama, and Dealer-Vendor Role Playing – 2018 Predictions

Brace yourself for this HOUR LONG rambling with your hosts and cohorts Ryan Gerardi and Chris K Leslie.

In this episode we recap recent conversations with the attempt to dig up dirt and drama in the auto retail industry. We then take a deep dive into Eric Miltsch’s recent article on DealerRefresh: 2018 Automotive Marketing Predictions.

Talking points include:

  • How dealers will change the way consumer shop and buy vehicles.
  • Subscription-based ownership models will increase.
  • How vendors will change the way they show value to dealers.

> Join the conversation in the Dealer Forums

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Branded Search, How Much You Should Spend and How Dealers are Getting Screwed

This article serves two purposes:

  1. Explain the need for branded search and what it should actually cost and why.
  2. Show dealers how to inspect what their SEM vendors are doing to determine if they working in your best interest or their own. Enjoy!

Why Do I Need to Buy My Dealership Name? I Have Great SEO

This is one of the most debated topics coming from car dealers using Adwords or Bing SEM. For those of you unfamiliar with what (Dealership) Branded Search is, Branded Search are SEM campaigns that contain keywords and ad copy directly related to your dealership’s brand name Example: “Mondello Jeep Ram”.

Often I’m asked, “Why do I need to Bid on My Own Name?

[Read more…]

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VIDEO: How to Use Dynamic Inventory Ads on Facebook and Google

Dynamically updated ads based on current dealer inventory are one of the hottest ad formats in automotive advertising right now. Not surprising, considering the dramatically improved targeting, relevancy, and performance these ads provide.

The benefits of dynamic inventory ads on Facebook and Google include:

  • Reach customers with laser-focused messaging based on their online car shopping behavior.
  • Retarget website visitors with ads promoting not only the vehicles they reviewed on your site, but also with similar vehicles in your current inventory.
  • Cross-device user recognition serves your ads to shoppers on mobile even when they first started on a desktop machine.

In October 2017 DealerRefresh Founder Jeff Kershner and I sat down with Hoot Interactive Founder Miles Olson and Dealer OMG Founder Andrew Street to explore the latest dynamic inventory advertising methods, strategies, and results that top-performing dealerships are implementing to get ahead, and stay ahead, of their competition.

In the workshop, we addressed the following questions about Dynamic Inventory Advertising:

  1. What are dynamic ads?
  2. How do dynamic ads work?
  3. What are the benefits of dynamic ads?
  4. What kind of performance results have dealers achieved using dynamic ads?

Below is preview of the webinar, which provides an overview of everything we covered. If you like what you see and are interested in viewing the full ‘edited’ version of the recording then visit the access request page or if you are a Premium Member then follow this link.

  • What are dynamic ads?
  • How do dynamic ads work?
  • What are the benefits of dynamic ads?
  • What kind of performance results have dealers achieved using dynamic ads?

*Dealer OMG is offering DealerRefresh Members a Special Introductory Offer. Learn more in the Deals4Dealers section of the Forums.

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Introducing the All-New DealerRefresh Roundtable – In the Forums and On the Lot

After nearly an entire year of collaborating, designing, and experimenting, I am excited to introduce our latest new media program – The DealerRefresh Roundtable. What began as a series of conversations between DealerRefresh Founder Jeff Kershner and myself more than two years ago, and which secured official support at NADA 2017, the Roundtable is now officially being unveiled to the world.

Like the other super exciting new novelties being introduced here at DealerRefresh such as Refresh Fridays and the DealerRefresh Podcast, the Roundtable project is designed to be a platform where we can explore the hottest topics going on RIGHT NOW in auto retail in a way that is meaningful and useful so that all of us in the industry can take action, innovate, and improve.

Exclusive Partnership

During a scheduled meeting with the marketing team in the Cars.com booth at NADA 2017 in New Orleans, we exchanged ideas on how Cars.com and DealerRefresh could band together to create a unique partnership that served both entities and the automotive community. We ended the meeting with a mutual agreement that Cars.com would be the exclusive sponsor of a new media broadcast brought to you by DealerRefresh. Although we didn’t have all the details worked out until months afterward, we knew walking out of the meeting that we were going to do something special.

In the Forums and On the Lot

At one point shortly after NADA while expanding on our original ideas, the tag line ‘In the Forums and On the Lot,’ which was coined initially by Cars.com Senior Director of B2B Marketing Tari Haro, immediately stuck. During this phase we considered many different names for the show, and the show format, and ultimate came up with the Roundtable.

Show Format

The idea behind the Roundtable is to conduct a talk show-like environment but in a video conference format where guest panelists can join remotely and where viewers can attend remotely as well, like a webinar, but unlike conventional webinars there is no Q&A or audience participation.

Each show is limited to 30 minutes and 2-3 guest panelists along with your hosts – Jeff and Ryan. We typically open up with a couple trivial subjects before diving into deeper subject matters, chosen ahead of time based on the panelists and what’s going on in the industry.

In July we ran our first test – Session #1, in a closed invite-only setting, which went quite well. We have since conducted a total of 5 sessions, one a month, with number six scheduled for December 7, and will continue doing them monthly.

Beginning in January 2018 we will open up attendance for the public to attend the live sessions.

When you view the recordings you will see it moves along swiftly and combines conversation with debate and tough questions, opinions, and some good laughs here and there too.

Recurring Webinar Series

The shows are conducted using Zoom Webinar, a video conferencing and webinar platform. You can now sign up at www.dealerrefreshroundtable.com. if you’re interested in attending the live sessions. Because it’s a recurring webinar series you only need to register once, and by doing so you will receive email alerts and reminders for each upcoming session in the series.

Recordings and Podcasts of The Roundtable

The shows are recorded, then edited, reproduced and published as videos and as podcasts. For now, each session is being published to the forums and tagged with ‘the dealer refresh roundtable’ so you can catch all published sessions with this link.

You can also find them in the videos section of the DealerRefresh Facebook page where there is a playlist featuring all published Roundtable sessions, and eventually on the all-new DealerRefresh Podcast on Soundcloud (or in your preferred podcast app).

Questions, Feedback, and Input

As you can see, the Roundtable project is a new concept and a work in progress. Our vision is for the Roundtable to become a desired destination for thought leaders, influencers, and innovators to collaborate, debate, and explore the auto industry’s hottest topics, developments, and innovations for everyone in the industry to enjoy.

Feedback & Ideas

There is a discussion thread in the Forums where we welcome your feedback and ideas on the show.

Share your feedback and ideas here