RALEIGH, NC--May 30, 2013: With the official kickoff of summer just around the corner, it's time for a big summer auto sales push in the U.S., and MaxPoint, the company that helps retailers and brands drive local in-store sales with its innovative Digital Zip technology, has identified U.S. cities with the neighborhoods that include families most interested in purchasing new family vehicles. By analyzing billions of purchases and online data points, MaxPoint identified two distinct groups and where they live: families most likely to buy an SUV and families most likely to buy a minivan.
“The automotive industry is a behemoth when it comes to advertising to consumers”
According to a recent IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report, Internet advertising revenues for the automotive space reached more than $4 billion in 2012.1 Digital is increasingly becoming a more important channel for automotive advertising, and no longer can advertisers rely solely on demographic information to target potential SUV or minivan buyers at the hyperlocal level. To help auto advertisers better tailor their advertising efforts, MaxPoint used its proprietary Digital Zip technology to develop a clear profile of both niche audiences. The research found that the key difference between the two audiences lies primarily in their interests.
The Profile of a Minivan Family
MaxPoint found that minivan families are typically between the ages of 35 and 55, hold a college degree and have incomes that exceed $100,000 a year. They trend high on interest in topics such as new technology, business and finance, the economy, sports, eco-friendly living and home improvement. The U.S. cities with a high concentration of minivan families are:
- Cleveland, OH
- Des Moines, IA
- Minneapolis, MN
- Orlando, FL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Raleigh, NC
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Springfield, MA
- Toledo, OH
The Profile of an SUV Family
Like their minivan family counterparts, the SUV families usually have an income of $100,000 or more per year and hold college degrees. However, SUV buyers are normally older than 45, are married and own a home. They trend high on interest in topics such as extreme sports, food and drink trends, golf and running. The U.S. cities with a high concentration of SUV families are:
- Albuquerque, NM
- Anchorage, AK
- Atlanta, GA
- Boston, MA
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas, TX
- Denver, CO
- Houston, TX
- Sacramento, CA
- San Diego, CA
MaxPoint found that, even within the top cities, certain neighborhoods indexed higher than others for minivan or SUV ownership. For instance, within Raleigh, NC, the company found that the highest indexing neighborhoods for minivan ownership included Downing Village, Waterford Estates, Kitts Creek, Breckenridge, Chessington, and Huntington Woods. For the SUV crowd, MaxPoint looked at several neighborhoods in Denver, CO and found that the top neighborhoods were Soda Creek, Kerr Gulch, Tanoa, The Ridge at Hiwan, the Overlook, and Troutdale Village.
"The automotive industry is a behemoth when it comes to advertising to consumers," said Gretchen Joyce, COO at MaxPoint. "We've created a more successful and targeted way for auto advertisers to reach car buyers with relevant ads and offers, eliminating costly and ineffective practices of the past. MaxPoint helps these advertisers understand which consumers in which neighborhoods are interested in specific makes and models."
Interest Data in Action
Using the data gleaned from the Index, MaxPoint executed a digital advertising campaign on behalf of a regional automotive group that was looking to advertise its cars across several markets using video pre-roll advertisements. MaxPoint was able to help the automotive advertiser target families with children under 18. Early campaign results have been extremely positive, showing a drastic increase in responsiveness higher than the industry average.
About the MaxPoint Interest Index
Using its unique Digital Zip technology, MaxPoint analyzes billions of data points consumed by neighborhoods across the United States such as: offline point-of-sale data, social media, videos, music, local Web pages and online magazines. For the May Interest Index, the company scored each neighborhood across hundreds of online topics related to consumers' interest in terms such as SUV and minivan.
About MaxPoint
MaxPoint's retail advertising platform drives in-store traffic for retailers and brands. The company's Digital Zip technology delivers the most effective and scalable hyperlocal neighborhood-level online campaigns. MaxPoint can pinpoint qualified customers interested in purchasing a product with more precision than using traditional zip codes, ultimately offering accurate neighborhood-level targeting with national reach and local results. Founded in 2007, MaxPoint has offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Bentonville, Cincinnati, and Raleigh.
1. http://www.iab.net/media/file/IAB_Internet_Advertising_Revenue_Report_FY_2012_rev.pdf
