Orange County Register

Cars
Recap 2009
 Background 2009
Objectives
• Promote our brand in the marketplace as
the place to go in OC.
– Complement research with unique local content.
– Leverage newspaper specials
– Drive big traffic from our site (32 MM) through
better labeling, promotion.
– Promote reasons to buy car right now
– Lower cost per lead.
 2009 Marketing Tactics
• Internal Email blasts Every two months, emailing out blast to Register Offers and Promotions
list (approx. 60K) inviting people to visit and search for a new car.

• External Email blast Engaged in list rental through one of our partners to drive more traffic to
the auto site.

• Grocery store advertising :30 spots in grocery store/drug stores to promote the auto site

• Newsletter advertising Utilizing open space in the entertainment and auto newsletters

• Search engine marketing (SEM) Purchase keywords on Google and Yahoo to drive traffic to
the website.

• Metro Traffic sponsorship We offer a message directing traffic to our automotive website

• Video ads (Jiffy Lube, Tully’s Coffee, etc…) Video ad branding OCRegister.com/cars as
most cars in OC

• Promotional ads (Tax increase, registration increase) In print house ads to promote
purchasing a car before government price increases

• Consumer brochure 1000 copies of consumer brochure, explaining offerings

 2009 Marketing
Campaigns
2009 PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGNS
• Long Beach Grand Prix (1 month
campaign)
• Auto Show Promotion (1-1/2 month
campaign)
 2009 Events
B-to-C Events
• Long Beach Grand Prix (April)
• Cruisin’ for a Cure (Sept)
• OC Auto Show (Oct)

B-to-B Events
• OCADA Annual Luncheon Event (January)
• OCADA Golf Event (June)
• OC Auto Show (October)
B-to-B
B-to-C
Free Gas for a Year
(December 2008)
• Billboard on 91
• Billboard on 55
• Bus stops around Orange County
• Sign on Building
• Email blast (internal and external)
• Grocery store ads
• Metro traffic sponsorships
• Video ads
• Rack card
• Front page note
• Front page coupon
• OC Saver ad
• Print ads
• Comic banner
 Traffic Results
2008 Page views from November and December
• Cost of program
300000
– Approx. $40,000
(with prize) 250000

• Results 200000

– 6,169 entries 150000

2008 - Page Views
2008 - Visits

– 1,572 optins Register 100000

Offers & Promotions
– 406 optins Get Out 50000

There 0
November December
– 372 optins OC
Wheels
– 71 optins AdMail
 Gabriel’s Lead Data
2008 November and December Lead
Data
4000

3500

3000

2500

November
2000
December

1500

1000

500

0
Leads Dealer Website Calls
 2009 Product Dev
Objectives
• Improve programs/products

• Bring in more leads

• Trial of new programs

• Affiliates
 2009 Improve
•
Products/Programs
Gabriel’s
– Monthly call to look at widgets or ways to improve program
• Video
– DMi PushTube product
• Discontinued due to cost
• Email
– Tega program
• Program improvements made Q4 due to declining response rates
• Online
– Liner ads online
– Make site simple and create obvious paths for the user
• Mobile/text
– Dealer mobile websites
– Text integrated into dealer ads
 2009 More leads
• Detroit Auto Exchange program
• Change approach to events
– Consumer brochure
– Samples of the site
– Sign up for Newsletter
• Online
– Integrate Gabriel’s links and into
Matt’s car blog
• Email
– Blasts pushing users to inventory site
with messaging on car tax,
registration, etc… (Reasons to buy a
car now)
Auto survey
Sent out to rented email list to
capture leads

RESULTS
575 responses
Currently shopping for a car

309 responses
Optin to receive info from OCR cars

203 responses
Optin to receive insurance info from OCR
cars

386 responses
Optin for OC Wheels newsletter
 2009 Trials
• Contact at Once
– Instant chat system
• Program cancelled as
dealer’s were not utilizing
• Virtual Auto Show
– Highlights to make and
models from the show in a
dynamic format with video
or animated slide shows
• Labor intensive to build,
only received support from
6-8 dealers, good program,
need to revise for 2010
Results from Virtual Auto
•
Show
Brought in $5,699 in incremental revenue from OC Auto
Show
• Special auto show content delivered 4,000 extra page views
for 2 week period (4% increase in traffic)
• Additional way to drive traffic to OCR online inventory
• Opportunity to continue to sell – LA Auto Show, etc…
• SEO:
– Google: OC Auto Show Register ranks 3rd
– Yahoo: OC Auto Show Register ranks 2nd
– Yahoo: Orange County Auto Show Register ranks 8th
 Affiliates
• Insurance
– $15 per lead
• Amazon
– % based on purchases
• CarFax
– % based on purchases
 On the horizon
• New products/upgrades
– Recall database
– Upgrade to dealer newspaper specials
– Integration of Kelley Blue Book data to dealer mobile sites
– Car finance from Bankrate (waiting on FI)
– Gabriel’s update to dealer profile pages
– Gabriel’s integration of dealer newspaper specials
– Gabriel’s integration of Kelley Blue Book data
– Transition of Gabriel’s search results pages to new site template
– Addition of new ad position (125x125) near manufacturer
research
– Upgrade to Gabriel’s alerts