Phil Zelinger - AdAgencyOnline.Net Automotive Advertising  

Philip Zelinger, President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. shared the following with a seminar audience recently.

"I consider the internet as a "media" that services a targetted audience - like car buyers - with a far superior ability for advertisers to track their ROI and audience than any conventional media available; like radio, TV and Newspaper. The recent rush of these conventional formats to develop their own internet presence with online versions of their programming evidences that they also see the writing on the wall and have jumped onto the Internet Super Highway to reach potential customers and satisfy their advertisers.

My question to my peers is this; what do your Internet Managers do to coordinate their dealership's message with the one they are placing on the streets and their showroom floor? With my roots in retail automotive advertising and automotive sales using conventional marketing I was an early believer in the need to coordinate all messages across all media to maximize frequency and consistency of message for my clients. The common sense integration of listing the website in all media, point of purchase merchandising materials and dealer stationary is being applied, but that leaves a lot of horses in the barn!

My solutions include allowing a strong internet manager presence and input in all automotive advertising for the dealership - sales and fixed operations - with the priority of making sure that all of the creative and dealer branding messages on the websites match those on the street and the showroom floor. A shared "selling process" that prioritizes providing showroom customers with the same "information overload" in a timely manner that is often the practice for a well managed website and linked internet selling team has worked for me and my clients and I am curious to know how many Internet Managers out there have - or would want to have - the added responsibility of coordinating their dealerships real world automotive advertising and selling processes as well as their virtual one?

The separation of powers that exist in many old school dealerships needs to be changed and the most central and technologically capable department and staff to accomplish that usually exists in the tech saavy Internet departments. How many of you guys - or gals, have stepped up to the plate and asked to take a swing at it and how has it worked for you?"

AdAgencyOnline.Net host a blog talk radio station, WAAOL - All Automotive News All Of The Time" where regular guests from preferred vendors like LeadConverter, LaserStream Video, Ai Dealer, Kihon Media, NeoSynergy, Gumiyo, CarFolks.Com and BZ Results share their knowledge with the audience.  For additional information visit AdAgencyOnline.Net.

Written By: Philip Zelinger, President, Ad Agency Online, L.L.C.