Consumers who are in the market for a car go online for information—but not to automobile Websites.
Nearly one-third of in-market respondents to a
BurstMedia study in January 2007 agreed that the Internet was the best source for getting automotive information—except for automobile Websites. Automakers' sites ranked fourth, behind friends and family and local auto dealers.
That preference also carries over into advertising: Online advertising for cars works best on Websites that have nothing to do with automobiles.
Automotive sites were ranked fifth in terms of click-through, interactivity and time spent with rich media campaigns for cars, in a study released in January 2007 by PointRoll.
More recently, ValueClick Media and Goodway Group tracked in-market consumer click-through and conversion rates for auto ads placed on wide variety of sites, in a study called "Cost Effectively Reaching the In-Market Auto Buyer."
Consumers were tracked in real time, and ads were removed from sites where they didn't work.
Different sites worked differently for different makes and models, and consumers' geographic locations also affected ad performance.
Matthew Boyd, senior vice president of ValueClick, told eMarketer that the approach used ad networks' reach and optimization technology to learn what sites were most likely to perform best. He said the approach, which the firm informally calls behavioral learning, could be used for any type of online ad campaign.
"Every product and every market has different 'best sites,' Mr. Boyd said, adding that the approach could be used alongside other campaign tactics such as behavioral targeting and search.
"Search has its place, but there has to be something for consumers to reach," Mr. Boyd said. "Optimizing ad placement drives awareness and consideration so that searches are executed."
Learn how carmakers give consumers information on the Web. Read eMarketer's Automotive Online: The Race Is On report.