AutoTrader.com Enhances Its Private Seller Function

ATLANTA--AutoTrader.com, the ultimate automotive marketplace, today announced the redesign of its "Sell Your Car" function, making it easier for its users to create online and magazine ads to sell their own vehicles. And, for the first time, the company will demonstrate the value and effectiveness of its private seller advertising to consumers over the course of an 8-week television advertising campaign.

AutoTrader.com's redesigned "Sell Your Car" function provides tools and tips to build the most effective ad possible. Now, when private sellers click on "Sell Your Car" from AutoTrader.com's homepage and then enter their local zip code, they see a newly-designed page that clearly and effectively describes three advertising options — Standard, Enhanced or Deluxe — available for consumers to choose from to create their own car ad. Once sellers have chosen their ad type, it is even easier than before to create both online and magazine ads with an improved and intuitive ad-building, picture-loading and editing process. The site prompts sellers, when applicable, to include unique and helpful selling points about their vehicle in the copy of their ad with suggested phrases such as, "Maintenance records available" and "Still under factory warranty." In addition, a highlighted customer service callout feature is easily identifiable throughout the process, in the event sellers need further assistance with building their ad. Once the ad is listed on AutoTrader.com, sellers will also be given the opportunity to print a detailed "For Sale" sign to post in the window of their vehicle, which includes all the vehicle's features and options.

In conjunction with the "Sell Your Car" redesign, AutoTrader.com launched an 8-week television advertising campaign July 31 illustrating the site as the best source to sell a vehicle. A newly-created spot, titled "How Many People," demonstrates AutoTrader.com's value to private sellers by providing them with an online listing of their vehicle — exposed to an audience of over 12 million serious car-buyers each month — and an AutoTrader magazine listing for one low price. The spot concludes with a call-to-action for sellers to list their cars with AutoTrader and will run through mid-September on several networks, including but not limited to: USA, Comedy Central, VH1, A&E, Spike TV, MTV, MSNBC, FX, The History Channel, Discovery Channel, BET, E!, SciFi and ESPN.

"AutoTrader provides a tremendously cost-efficient and effective way for car owners to sell their own vehicle," said Scott Whiteside, vice president and general manager of private seller advertising, AutoTrader.com. "For most, selling a vehicle is not a frequent occurrence; generally, people only need to sell a vehicle once every several years. The redesigned private seller function now provides an easy, step-by-step user experience that better addresses the needs of the typical vehicle seller."

"The value proposition of AutoTrader's private seller advertising listings largely remains an undiscovered resource for private sellers, as many people continue to simply list their vehicles for sale in their local newspapers," said Clark Wood, vice president of marketing, AutoTrader.com. "Our new private seller campaign addresses this issue and demonstrates AutoTrader as the best source to sell a vehicle in local markets across the country."

About Cox Auto Trader

Cox Auto Trader is one of the world’s leading providers of online and print automotive consumer information. Operating subsidiaries include majority-owned AutoTrader.com, the Internet’s leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information Web site with more than 3 million vehicle listings and over 13 million qualified buyers each month; Auto Trader Publishing, a leading producer of classified automotive advertising publications with 341 automobile and light truck titles and a total circulation of 3.5 million per week; and Auto Mart, the leading provider of print and online classified automotive advertising for dealer customers with a million used car Internet listings from dealers combined with print publications in 72 separate markets.

Cox Auto Trader is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., one of the nation’s leading media companies and providers of automotive services.