Many have heard the phrase “content is king” – a saying coined by Bill Gates nearly 30 years ago. At that time, it was the rise of the Internet that forever changed consumer behaviors and pushed content marketing into the mainstream.

Fast forward to now, and content marketing is once again at the forefront and gaining significant momentum. With the pandemic fueling a shift to e-commerce, many businesses across all industries are rethinking how to most effectively connect with consumers through relevant content. Because the overall goal has always been, and will continue to be, to maximize your content to DRIVE consumer decisions.

What Is Content Marketing?

“ A technique of creating and distributing

valuable, relevant and consistent content to

attract and acquire a clearly defined audience –

with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
– Content Marketing Institute

This is just one definition of many that I’m sure you might have seen before from various sources. But, one theme across all definitions, is that content marketing is about education, not promotion. The keyword here is “valuable”. If the content provided doesn’t add value to a shopper’s journey, then it likely won’t be effective.

There are many advantages to content marketing that work, such as building customer trust and loyalty, improving SEO, increasing your reach to new people and audiences as well as increasing website traffic. And although those main four goals of content marketing have not changed much over the last few years, what HAS changed in the automotive shopper’s journey are the behaviors as well as preferences in how, when and where to maximize your content.

The Stages of the Shopper Journey

The automotive consumer journey contains two important stages. Stage 1 includes: explore, consider, select, and buy. Stage 2 includes that last and final stage in a shopper’s journey: own.

An exceptional automotive content marketing strategy reaches a consumer in all stages of their journey – it accompanies them as a valuable resource in all instances whether they are a shopper in market for a vehicle (in the Explore, Consider, Select, or Buy stage) or an owner (in the Own stage) looking for general car care information. Content marketing allows you to cover all parts of the journey at one time.

When focusing on Stage 1 – the shopping phase – Cox Automotive recently partnered with research experts GFK on our 2022 Content Influence Study. Based on surveys among over 2,000 new vehicle buyers and shoppers, we found that an overwhelming 83% used content marketing sources when researching their upcoming vehicle purchase.

Notably, this percentage is down from 88% in 2021 – likely the result of consumer shopping behaviors starting to normalize as we begin to put the pandemic in our rearview mirror. Regardless, 86% said they plan to use content marketing sources again when researching future vehicle purchases. And this trend is not unique to automotive. In a recent study by Lucidpress, 85% of marketers surveyed report an increase in demand for content among their customers over the last year – giving many businesses good reason to increase their content marketing budgets even more in 2022.

Types of Content Consumers Prefer

It’s no secret, consumers expect personalized interactions, and nearly all of them get frustrated when this doesn’t happen. And automotive buyers are no exception. Yes, content marketing focuses on distributing valuable and relevant content to a reader, but consumers definitely have preferences on what types of content they are willing to view and engage with, as well as what formats they prefer.

To help us better understand where content marketers should invest in 2022, in a recent Cox Automotive study we asked shoppers to tell us what they prefer the most – content that you read or content that you watch. We also asked what type of content marketing sources have the greatest influence over vehicle selection. The results tell us that shoppers today have a higher preference for consuming content through videos that are both engaging as well as interactive.

Find the order of preference listed below in types of content that had the GREATEST influence over vehicle selection in the purchase process:

Consumer ratings & reviews (43%)

Online video reviews from an expert (43%)

Online test drive videos from an expert (41%)

Official expert car ratings & awards (40%)

‘Top lists” of best vehicle models (37%)

Side-by-side comparisons of models (36%)

Articles about vehicles, new tech/features (30%)

BEST PRACTICES: When creating video marketing content, it’s important PRIOR to creating the content to know the needs of your audience and make sure they are addressed from beginning to end. According to our research, consumers aren’t looking for a lot of special effects or entertainment. The main point of your video should be to add value to their journey, and that is accomplished by giving them content which they find informative, simple, informational, and educational.

Keys to Success

The keys to success when it comes to creating and maximizing your content marketing efforts can be placed in 2 categories: those related to process and those related to content.

PROCESS:

Strategy – Have a documented content marketing strategy. The Content Marketing Institute has found that having a documented strategy is highly correlated with success because it will help align your team around common goals, makes it easier to determine which types of content to develop, and it keeps the team focused on documented priorities.

Dedicated Focus on Content – Research shows that having dedicated resources is a common characteristic across companies that are most successful in content marketing. You need a partnership that can help drive deliverables and is responsible for keeping your content up to date.

CONTENT:

Provide Value – Prioritizing consumer information needs over promotional messages is the key. Just remember that it isn’t considered content marketing unless it provides value to your customer.

Stand Out – Part of truly maximizing your content is making sure to differentiate YOUR content from the competition. Your brand has a niche: there are things that distinguish you from the rest of the automotive world in the minds of your audience. Tap into these things every time you create a piece of content.

Customer Journey – Craft content based on stages of the consumer journey. By diversifying your content across each stage of the journey, your experience will be more personalized to your customer.

No matter WHAT type of content marketing you’re focusing on in 2022, make sure to leverage your Cox Automotive Marketing Partnership team to make sure your content is reaching the right shopper, at the right time, with the right message. CAMP 360: it’s more than media, it’s data that drives.

Want to see all the highlight stats from the GFK research that was conducted on content marketing for Cox Automotive? Click HERE for immediate access!

With inventory and market disruptions continuing to tighten the in-market car shopping journey, OEMs in today’s times have additional challenges when it comes to successfully reaching auto shoppers. It’s essential they span the entire digital purchase journey in every stage to inform and engage potential new vehicle shoppers. Our May webinar was packed with advice, insights and useful strategies from Cox Automotive experts on that very topic – how to empower and stay alongside shoppers during the purchase process. If you missed this engaging discussion, you can watch the replay here:

Recording link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/8013215877717150476

The Cox Automotive Research and Market Intelligence team is excited to announce the latest Digital Influence Study results. I recently had the pleasure of presenting these findings during an AIADA AutoTalk webinar, and here are the top three things you need to know: 

1. There is good news on the horizon for OEMs

2022 is showing great potential for rebounds in the automotive industry. While we don’t expect supply constraints to ease until later this year, new vehicle inventory levels are already showing some early signs of recovery. In fact, Cox Automotive’s new vehicle inventory index increased in Q1 for the first time since Q4 of 2020.¹ With increased inventory, there is an excellent opportunity to influence new vehicle buyers. According to our study, 74% of new vehicle buyers purchased a different vehicle than they initially considered.²

2. The purchase process has accelerated with shoppers spending less time online

New vehicle shoppers are spending less time in market. In 2019, shoppers spent approximately 100 days in market, and now that number has dropped to 83 days. The time new vehicle shoppers spend on exploration and consideration has accelerated. Still, these two stages account for the bulk of the shopper journey, which includes four stages overall (explore, consider, select buy). In addition, new vehicle shoppers are spending less time online, but it by far remains their top shopping source. In 2019, new vehicle shoppers spent an average of 6 hours 44 minutes online, which has now dropped to 5 hours and 22 minutes.²  For this reason, marketers have less time than ever before to make an impression on buyers.

3. Third-party sites remain highly influential in the new car buyer shopping journey

New vehicle shoppers visit an average of 3.7 websites, and almost 70% of those consumers visited a third-party site during their shopper journey. New vehicle shoppers have expressed that third-party sites and OEM websites provide unique and complementary benefits, listing third-party sites as knowledgeable, trustworthy, reliable, and unbiased. Shoppers pair this information with the help of OEM sites, listing these sites as having specific, up-to-date, and comprehensive information for vehicles.²

In addition to these three key takeaways, it is essential to understand that a well-executed digital strategy makes or breaks your plans. Automotive ads play a more significant role in purchase decisions than ever before, with almost 40% of new vehicle shoppers saying that auto ads were helpful in their decision-making process.² This is up from just 15% in 2019! As macroeconomic trends continue to influence the shopping journey, relevant and real-time messaging will continue to influence new vehicle shoppers. Being present at the critical decision points across the purchase horizon is key to influencing consideration and reinforcing brand loyalty. 

1 Q1 2022 Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index

2 2022 Cox Automotive Digital Influence Study; data is reflective of in-market shoppers who eventually purchased

When it comes time to buy a new car, most of us will spend hours upon hours seeking the best answer to a simultaneously simple and daunting question: Which car should I buy? We’ll seek information and guidance from trustworthy sources – often via Google – to help us find that one special car, truck, SUV or minivan that best meets our needs and wants.

But the information gathering that goes into that decision begins long before those first intent-driven Google searches. Your next car purchase process is in fact being influenced by information being put in front of you today. Through regular content consumption you’re absorbing what’s new, what’s good, what’s popular, what’s hot, what’s safe and, of course, which vehicles took home this year’s Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards.

The messenger? Trusted, unbiased editorial content.

Cars and Content: A Symbiotic Relationship

At Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book we create content with three primary aims:

Inform and educate visitors

Attract visitors

Expand brand awareness

As an example, we publish around 300 in-depth vehicle reviews every year. That content serves those first two goals of 1) making our site more useful for our visitors and 2) attracting millions of active car shoppers every month by helping us ranking highly in related Google search results.

But it’s that third goal that’s getting more attention from automakers.

The content we create to maintain and expand our own brand awareness, familiarity and affinity among those not yet in market also drives a lot of that same value for the brands and models we’re out there talking about.

For instance, our coverage of a new model can generate millions of incremental exposures across Apple News, Google Discover, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, etc. That’s great for us, but there’s also tremendous value for that automaker. Respected editorial content goes places and impacts people in ways marketing typically can’t, and we know it affects eventual buying decisions down the road.

There’s an increasing number of ways automakers can amplify that powerful content and coverage, and our sales and marketing folks are helping more and more of our partners do just that.

The Biggest Audience

With 88% of shoppers using content to research a new vehicle¹, editorial makes our sites more useful, valuable, and helpful for these consumers. KBB.com is the leader in organic market share with the best bounce rates, time spent on-site, and pages viewed. This indicates we not only have the largest share of the market, but the most qualified share, as well.² Autotrader and KBB.com together reach almost 60% of all car buyers and account for more than half of the time car buyer spend on third-party sites.³

As the auto industry faces ongoing supply chain disruptions that push shoppers further out from purchase, editorial content on our sites will continue to evolve as we reach, attract, and engage shoppers across the buying horizon.

1 2020 Nielsen Content Influence Study Commissioned by Cox Automotive

2 Organic Search Traffic Market Trend, January – November 2021

3 2021 Car Buyer Journey Study

For 12 years, the annual Car Buyer Journey Study, conducted by Cox Automotive, has analyzed new and used car buyer survey data to track trends in car shopping behavior over time. In 2021, we found that inventory disruptions have impacted many facets of the new car buying journey. Here’s what our latest study shows.

The chip shortage affected the new car buying process, but shopper satisfaction remains high.

Our 2020 study results found that a record-high number of new car buyers were satisfied with their shopping experience, and 2021 satisfaction levels were nearly as high as the prior year. While in 2020 74% of new car shoppers were highly satisfied with the overall shopping experience, that level dropped slightly to 71% in 2021, with overall satisfaction still higher than pre-pandemic levels. Not surprisingly, purchase experience suffered due to inventory frustrations. In addition, inflated vehicle prices caused declining buyer satisfaction on the price paid and trust in the deal.

So, what motivated car purchases in 2021?

Due to limited inventory, buyers spent less time in market. For new car shoppers, time in market dropped from 95 days in 2020 to 91 days in 2021. Many shoppers expressed that they were making their purchases sooner than expected because they feared missing out on the vehicle they were able to find. So what three factors motivated new car shoppers to move more quickly in 2021?

With GDP growth at the highest since 1984, the strong U.S. economy drove purchases.
Shoppers were driven to purchase a vehicle for safety and convenience factors. Many believe the intrinsic value of ownership currently outweighs the cost.
Buyers were motivated by attractive trade-in offers, which led to the sale of their previous vehicle.

Digital engagement boosted confidence and satisfaction during inventory shortages.

Our 2021 findings revealed that higher digital engagement boosted consumers’ confidence in price and overall satisfaction. Consumers highly engaged in the digital retailing process seem to have weathered the impact of limited inventory, and they were more satisfied with the shopping experience and time commitment. This is likely driven by better vehicle selection and less sticker shock in the digital shopping process. So, what can we learn from this segment of shoppers?

Most digital buyers were more focused during their online search. They spent less time shopping online because they were more concentrated and efficient in their search.
Third-party sites were the most relied upon resource for buyers, with nearly 3 out of 4 depending on third-party sites to support them in their purchase process.

Due to limited inventory, digital retailing was vital for shoppers who felt economic pressure to make a decision quickly.

In 2022, digital engagement will continue to influence brand loyalty.

As the 2021 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study has shown, economic factors heavily impacted new car shopper satisfaction. For 2022, opportunities remain to rebuild brand loyalty, which eroded due to inventory pressures. OEMs can focus on brand loyalty through:

Leveraging digital media to drive brand messaging to near and in-market shoppers.

Almost 40% of intenders are willing to wait up to six months for the right vehicle, while about 1/3 of intenders were likely to pre-order their vehicles. It’s a very fluid shopping experience that requires brands to stay engaged, as shoppers may act more quickly than they originally intended.

Continuing to transition customers to a more digital experience.

As our study showed, digital users tend to be more brand loyal. Instant Cash Offer was the most used trade-in tool among study participants. This is a strong signal that someone is entering the car buying process and the first digital step they could be taking toward researching new vehicle options.

Partnering with endemic sites that are crucial to the research and shopping experience.

Cox Automotive sites experienced visitor growth in 2021, with a 12% increase in unique visitors and a 17% increase in site visits. With 6 in 10 shoppers relying on Cox Automotive as a part of the car buyer journey, it’s meaningful to leverage your partnership to maintain brand loyalty with your customers.

For more insights on what’s coming this year, check out 2022 Predictions and Trends for the Automotive Industry from our panel of experts.

Statistics and data based on the following sources and studies:

2021 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study.
Cox Automotive Wave 2 Chip Shortage Research – August 2021

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

1. There is good news on the horizon for OEMs

2. The purchase process has accelerated with shoppers spending less time online

3. Third-party sites remain highly influential in the new car buyer shopping journey

1 Q1 2022 Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index

2 2022 Cox Automotive Digital Influence Study

2021 was wild. Between inventory shortages, changing consumer behaviors, and the ongoing pandemic, the team at Cox Automotive is looking ahead to what’s in store for 2022. Our recent webinar focusing on the year ahead was packed with strategic updates from several Cox Automotive executives from across the business. Here are some of the key takeaways from the event.

From Michelle Krebs, Senior Industry Intelligence Director, Cox Automotive

While the story this year has been the global computer chip shortage and subsequent production cuts, vehicle inventory crunch and ultimately the impact on sales, it’s important to also note the fast rise of electrified vehicle sales as we head into 2022. From an industry trends perspective, the key factors for 2022 will be:

New Vehicle Sales: We anticipate the chip situation will improve progressively throughout 2022. But we expect inventory to continue to be very tight as it will take time to re-fill the pipeline. As a result, prices will stay high. We expect demand to continue to be extremely strong, and economic factors such as credit availability and interest rates support a strong market. So, we are forecasting 2022 sales to come in at 16 million and increase to 16.7 million in 2023.

Electrified Vehicles: While new vehicle sales fell 13% through the end of Q3, electrified sales soared by 60%. Market share is now 10% of the market – double the year before. The bulk of that is hybrids/plug-in hybrids. Our Kelley Blue Book Q3 Brand Watch showed one in four shoppers considered an electrified vehicle – the highest interest we’ve ever seen. We believe that interest and sales will grow especially as more models are introduced. More models will continue to enter the market from more brands – with more than 100 electric models predicted by the end of 2024.

Economic Trends: Demand will be strong. More buyers, many who postponed purchases, will jump back into the market as inventory improves. Prices both new and used will remain high. Consumers recognize they will have to pay higher prices and may have to wait for the vehicle purchase. We’ll likely see more consumers put down deposits – sort of “order” vehicles, and more of the buying process will keep moving online

From Kevin LeSage, Director of Digital Marketing, Autotrader

With the macroeconomic trends in mind, it’s important to consider how to translate these trends into actionable OEM to dealer digital marketing plans for 2022. As Michelle mentioned, the buying process continues to move online. The key to future success is using efficient digital marketing tools to reach the right customer. Here are some key strategies to consider:

Quality audience is key: Accuracy in audience data will be more important than the platform itself. Look for partners that build audiences in real time (by the hour). If your data isn’t in real time or relevant, it creates waste and frustration for consumers being served content that doesn’t make sense for where they are in their journey.

Create long-term customers: It’s more important than ever to understand consumer behavior with a 360-degree, up-to-the-hour view of automotive consumers. With leases being extended and many shoppers willing to wait for inventory to improve, you have to be able to meet the customer where they are in an ever-evolving shopping journey with content that’s relevant and keeps them interested.

Normalize and activate the data you already have: Most OEMs and dealers can start innovating with the data that they already have at their fingertips. Once you can ensure the existing data is normalized, go get new customers into your CRM to keep feeding the data machine. You need really great first-data partners to better understand your customers.

From Scott Markle, Senior Director of Product Management, Cox Automotive

By understanding the economic trends and how that translates into digital marketing strategies, it gives OEMs and dealers a place to start in 2022 tactical planning. The products and partners you choose can make or break the efficacy of your data. Here’s some things to keep in as you look to the future:

Consumer privacy and transparency: Consumer concern around privacy is on the rise, and they are demanding more transparency. With more data regulations on the horizon, it’s important to find partners acutely tuned in to product innovation. You have to build trust with consumers through the value being provided.

First-party consented data: First-party consented data is the new foundation for audience and activation. OEMs and dealers must think about how your partners are collecting data and ensure they are compliant. Ask your partners if they offer a clean room as a way to share data safely. This helps clients unlock more value from data while providing flexibility for custom analysis to create really unique predictive data.

The future is connection: In 2022 and beyond, building a real connection with consumers, based on authentication and persistent identifiers will be the key to success. If you maximize your first-party data, you’ll be able to understand who your consumer truly is and what they truly want. This takes partnerships, like CAMP 360, to build a long-term view of your client and allows you additional data sets.

Want to learn more about how CAMP 360 can help you prepare for 2022 and beyond? Click here.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

2021 Path to EV Adoption Study

In addition to the microchip shortage and other industry challenges, there is major buzz around the future of electric vehicles and accelerated adoption rates. Auto manufacturers are launching more EVs, opening more factories, and investing in more battery innovations. In fact, EV market share is predicted to grow nearly seven times by 2030.¹ With this current climate in mind, Cox Automotive conducted research in June and July of 2021 with more than 4800 consumers to better understand market perceptions and provide insights to OEMs around barriers to EV purchase. 

EV Consideration is Healthy

Nearly 4 in 10 consumers are currently considering an EV for their next vehicle purchase, with Gen Z and Millennials leading the growth in consideration.² However, when we dive further into asking consumers how certain they are on purchasing an electric vehicle, their intentions wane. Conversion from consideration to sales will be challenging as shoppers are still trying to solidify their decisions based on the purchase barriers holding them back. 

Barriers to Adoption 

What’s interesting is that the top five barriers to electric vehicle adoption remain consistent when compared to our previous EV study in 2019. The good news is that some of these concerns are decreasing when compared to the previous results. Across consumers, anxiety is lowering around lack of charging stations, battery holding a charge and limited mileage range, as innovations in this segment address these concerns. However, costs including EV price and battery replacement are still high on the list of apprehensions for consumers. 

Brand Loyalty and Content Marketing Pave the Path to Purchase

Brand loyalty is crucial to driving electric vehicle adoption. Our research asked respondents how likely they would be to purchase or lease from the same brand if their current brand produced only EVs after 2030. A whopping 84% of considerers said they would likely re-purchase from the same brand, while nearly 50% of Non-Considerers said the same.² Most current brands have low to moderate brand awareness, as consumers are not savvy on what EVs are available in the marketplace. There is a massive opportunity for brands that want to win in the EV segment to invest in CRM, elevate brand trust, and maintain strong quality for the consumers to stay with the brand. Start introducing consumers to any EV concept vehicles or upcoming EV launches to gear them up for your brand’s future line-up.

Third-Party Online Presence is Key to Future EV Success

Three in four vehicle buyers leverage third-party sites for their research and shopping needs. Autotrader and KBB.com were the top two most visited sites among EV buyers.² This is because one of the most effective ways to reach electric vehicle buyers is through content marketing. Ninety-three percent of EV purchasers consumed content marketing as a part of the research process.² This type of content can provide objective testimonials for shoppers to better understand the EV ownership experience. Expert and consumer ratings and reviews, articles, and side-by-side comparisons were crucial to guiding consumers to make the best-informed decisions for their EV purchase. 

As an industry, we are on the path to widespread EV adoption. While perception and consideration are improving among consumers, it will be crucial for OEMs to strategically focus on marketing initiatives that inform and educate EV shoppers. 

Learn more about how CAMP 360 can connect you to EV shoppers. 

1 IHS Markit’s Power Train Forecast

2 2021 Cox Automotive Path to EV Adoption Study

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Cox Automotive conducted research¹ in August to understand how the chip shortage is impacting car buyer behavior; we compared our findings to research completed in April, as chip shortage impacts were first realized. As you’re thinking about how 2022 strategy and planning, here’s what to know about how car buyers perceive the chip shortage:

People are still willing to pay above MSRP.

Only slightly fewer shoppers now than in April are willing to pay above MSRP to get their vehicle of choice and would pay a 13% premium. In April, our research found that 42% of in-market shoppers were willing to pay above MSRP, and in August, that number dropped down to 35%. Demand drives pricing today, not suggested retail prices.  

More car buyers are delaying their vehicle purchases due to the chip shortage.

48% of in-market shoppers are likely to postpone, compared to 37% in April. Among those likely to postpone their purchase, about half would delay their purchase by six months or less. More of those who are not waiting are likely to switch brands, categories, or from a new to a used vehicle. It’s safe to say these consumers want a car sooner than later and are willing to compromise on what they originally planned.

Car buyers are willing to drive outside of their local area for a vehicle.

Three-quarters of shoppers are willing to drive 50-200 miles for the right vehicle but less likely to travel more than 200 miles away from home. As consumers are willing to travel more distance, marketing strategies should pivot. It’s less about geography and more about matching the right person to the right car at the right time.

Most car buyers still anticipate negative impacts as a result of the chip shortage.

From increased prices to inventory shortages and longer delivery times, most consumers recognize the effects of the chip shortage on the car buying process — and expect that the trends will continue. 76% believe that all vehicle brands will be impacted, and 61% expect less favorable deals or incentives. We’ve seen an increased number of consumers ordering direct from manufacturers. 

You can bridge the gap from consideration to purchase.

Now that we understand the chip shortage’s ongoing impacts on car buyer behavior, we can help shift your strategy to reach the right customers to drive quality traffic and revenue. Although some consumers delay purchases due to limited availability and increased prices, that won’t last long. This is the time to evolve your marketing and messaging strategies to target shoppers most interested in your brand. So why should you advertise now? We know that CAMP 360 helps influence sales both in the near and long term. We know that 66% of sales transactions will happen 3 or more months after a shopper’s first engagement with CAMP 360². Using CAMP 360 to bridge inventory gaps in the present builds demand to fuel future sales.

1 Cox Automotive Research & Market Intelligence  –  Automotive Chip Shortage Consumer Perspective Wave 2 

2 Cox Auto Buy Through Rate Study, Sales = January 2021 – May 2021

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The Cox Automotive Marketing Partnership — or CAMP 360 — supports your strategic marketing goals by connecting our audience with your brand, ultimately connecting shoppers and advertisers at impressionable moments throughout the car shopping journey. Harnessing the power of Cox Automotive, CAMP 360 leverages our portfolio of brands, consumer insights, relevant and meaningful content and deep data touchpoints to create a 360-degree view of the automotive customer journey.

We’ve evolved digital marketing to meet the needs of shoppers, delivering a more effective marketing campaign for you. When you partner with CAMP 360 , you gain exclusive access to our data intelligence, high-quality audience, enhanced user experience, brand integration, and strategic insight. These are the five advantages of CAMP 360. Dive deeper into each advantage and learn more about how to get started to level up your marketing.

Data Intelligence

Nobody knows more about car shoppers than Cox Automotive. The size of our brand ecosystem means we have access to data generated by customer interactions at every step of the process from early consideration through sale — and even into service and repair before they head back around to start the process again.

We are uniquely positioned to have a direct view into the car shopping and ownership cycle. We can see shopper activities in real time and at scale, which our data intelligence platform then interprets as buying signals. We analyze those real-time shopper actions to create in-depth, automotive-specific behavioral models that we can track all the way to purchase.

These first-party, proprietary insights along the path to purchase and through ownership enables us to observe car shopper behavior at massive scale. Because we have so much data, and the intelligence layered with that data connects behaviors to gauge intention to purchase, we’re able to identify “ready–to-buy” shoppers who are 15 times more likely to buy a new vehicle than the average person. Onsite and offsite, we can reach precisely who you’re looking for.

That’s how unrivaled access to data gives you a clearer picture of your specific shopper.

Audience Quality

A cornerstone of CAMP 360 is connecting our OEM clients with our high-quality audiences through our well-known and trusted brands. Our powerhouse consumer brands, Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, deliver a client-to-shopper connection rooted in unbiased truth and brand integrity, connecting them with valuable content and easing the friction of the second-largest household purchase for most Americans.

Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader together reach almost 60% of all car buyers and account for more than half of the time car buyers spend on third-party sites.? Each month these platforms see a combined 33M+ unique visits.?

Car shoppers name KBB.com as the best resource for key shopping activities like researching vehicle pricing, researching vehicle brands, comparing makes and models and reading ratings and reviews.?

Autotrader offers superior, personalized car buying experience for shoppers, delivering the highest quality leads in the business, with a close rate 68% higher than the nearest competitor.?

Your marketing content and strategies should enable the shopper to feel more confident in their decisions, and connecting your brand with KBB.com and Autotrader helps create that confidence. New car shoppers overwhelmingly agree that Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader lead in delivering informative, helpful content. When compared with other brands, new car shoppers rank Autotrader and KBB.com as the highest for helping shoppers learn about specific vehicles or brands.?

User Experience

Consumers simply won’t tolerate a cluttered or clunky website experience anymore. Our user experience experts have spent the time examining user expectations and behaviors and combined our vast network of consumer insights with our site experience. The result: modern, clean websites that are easy to navigate and cut through the noise. The user experience includes:

More personalized, streamlined shopper experiences that serve content relevant to each shopper
Better integration of native advertising to make it easier for a shopper to focus on relevant content that takes them deeper into steps that lead toward purchase
An experience that allows OEM clients to differentiate their products and reach new audiences

Personalized and relevant content targets shoppers when they’re most impressionable, which means they’re more receptive to your messaging. Most car shoppers (70%) report that content marketing is useful, which is why we’ve spent the time ensuring that it’s displayed intentionally, surfacing a targeted message when consumers are most likely to engage.?

And this is the kind of personalization that customers want. 63% of new vehicle shoppers say they’ll provide more information online if it results in a more personalized experience? (and less time at a dealership!)

Case in point: After our strategic refresh of KBB.com in 2021, we found that shoppers are spending 15% more time on KBB.com editorial content compared to other automotive editorial sites. We’re also seeing double-digit improvements to value creation on the site, which is helping us meet client needs.?

When you partner with CAMP 360, your brand and message will realize the power of personalization.

Brand Integration

Our brand integration allows you to more seamlessly deliver your message without disrupting the user experience. Almost 60% of new vehicle shoppers believe targeted marketing could lead to finding a vehicle that’s best suited for them, indicating they are open to your message throughout their journey.?

CAMP 360 offers a flexible, customizable suite of brand integration opportunities that match impressionable shoppers with brand messages. Our campaigns reach new car shoppers at all stages of the journey and create a shift in consideration.

Think of brand integration from CAMP 360 like merchandising in a grocery store. Other targeting strategies have your brand waiting by the register, only available for customers who are ready to check out. But CAMP 360 integrates your messaging across our sites. We’re the heat map that knows where customers go throughout their entire shopping journey. We’re the end cap, the cart sign and the shelf talker. And 91% of the time, our buying signals can reliably predict whether your vehicle is in a shopper’s consideration set .? This brand integration is the merchandising strategy that puts you in all the right places to boost consideration.

CAMP 360 campaigns are proven to reach shoppers at all stages of the shopping process, shifting consideration toward your brand. That’s the impact of right-time messaging.

Strategic Insight

We know that the success of your digital campaign depends on more than leads and sales; it’s about garnering valuable and actionable insights about your consumers, your campaigns and your business —and that’s what we deliver.

Our data makes your data smarter and as we learn more, you learn more. Clients enrolled as CAMP 360 partners get access to advanced audience targeting and a robust suite of customer analytics reporting, as well as guaranteed incremental visitor traffic to influential content. Our insights and analytics help you optimize and inform future campaigns.

That’s the advantage of a marketing partnership.

Are you ready to get started with CAMP 360? Learn More