We accept ads as a necessary evil throughout our regular daily internet surf. However, if you begin to notice patterns in the types of ads you see onscreen a regular basis, don’t think you’re paranoid, because sometimes, they are specially chosen for you. Or, at least, the virtual version of yourself, which is the one automakers are after with their latest sales-boosting trick – targeted ads.
A report from Autonews Europe will clarify the situation, if you don’t already know about this. For instance, take Kevin Mayer, who is the VP of marketing for VW of America. He explains that “if you go to Edmunds and shop for a RAV4, and then you go to Sports Illustrated,” they can “hit you with an ad on Sports Illustrated for the Tiguan two hours later.”
I think it is a bit inappropriate to “hit” your prospective customer with an ad they don’t necessarily want to see, and then greet them warmly and smile as they unwillingly and unknowingly enter your showroom.
Still, probably all of the major automakers are doing this, so their combined incessant efforts to get space on your screen should cancel each other out to a certain degree. This makes you wonder if your taste in cars is really your own, and not subconsciously induced by strategically placed photos, deals, slogans or teasers. Mr. Mayer concludes by stating that “it’s a new world,” and that “there are so many different tools coming in that allow you to do so many different things” – yes, but these tools need to be used with discernment.
Automotive advertisers spent $3.49 billion on various related services in 2011, then the figure went up to $4.39 billion last year, and this year it is projected to exceed $5 billion. What is this money being spent on? Well, how about a bit of concentration of ads by specific ZIP codes that are chosen by a very wide range of criteria, among others. These ads can help buyers make up their mind, according to Mr. Mayer, who says: “If they’re exhibiting shopping behavior that indicates that they’re not quite sure, we can hit them with an incremental offer,” and “when we draw them in, we have aggressive offers on our dealer sites designed to actually bring them into the showroom.”
By Andrei Nedelea
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