DealerSpecials From Cars.com Accelerates Inventory Turnover With Enhanced Merchandising and Dealer Branding

CHICAGO, July 31 -- Cars.com announced today the launch of DealerSpecials, an online display advertising product developed to help franchise and independent dealerships turn their used inventory faster through enhanced online listings. DealerSpecials allows dealers to dynamically merchandise their vehicles and build brand awareness online with an eye-catching, easy-to-generate ad.

"Savvy dealers understand their competitors are much closer than across town or even down the street. Internet listings narrow the distance to as little as a quarter-of-an-inch," said Mitch Golub, president of Cars.com. "With DealerSpecials, dealers can set themselves apart with display advertising that more aggressively markets their inventory and differentiates them from the competition."

At Illinois-based Joe Rizza Enterprises, Internet director Linda Tew said customer response to its pilot DealerSpecials advertising program has been "nothing but positive." The franchise dealer uses DealerSpecials to feature vehicles from its five Chicagoland locations.

"The layout of the inventory as presented in the specials section is outstanding," said Tew. "I am sure this (product) will do nothing but grow our leads over the coming months."

DealerSpecials incorporates rich-media technology that dynamically updates ads based on a variety of factors, determined by the dealership. A dealer can choose to highlight, for example, vehicles that have been on the lot the longest, vehicles that were built by a specific manufacturer or those offered for sale within a certain price range. Dealers also can align the featured vehicles with a car shopper's search requests, including similar models by different manufacturers.

"DealerSpecials allows dealers to be as hands-off or as hands-on as they want to be," Golub said. "They can automate the selection process, or they can manually choose the vehicles to be promoted, whether in response to local market conditions or to help move aging inventory."

Cars.com designed DealerSpecials to complement its Online AdPackage (OAP) and Independent AdPackage (IAP) offerings. Shoppers access the display ads via the "See Our Specials" link that appears on the search results page, vehicle preview pane, vehicle details page and Dealer Locator results page. OAP and IAP customers using DealerSpecials can link to the ad from their website, providing them with a continuously updated specials page with no additional cost or effort.

In Boston, Phil Jackson, director of marketing for Village Automotive, said he uses DealerSpecials for his dealership's five franchises. Jackson described the product as a strong lead generator from customers and a powerful tool to keep the sales department focused on priorities for the week.

"With the Internet being so important, so integral to our department," Jackson said, "DealerSpecials is a great thing."

Average click-through rates (CTR) for pilot DealerSpecials ads have exceeded 40 percent, Golub said. Industry CTRs for rich media advertising campaigns, predicted by eMarketer to experience year-over-year spending growth rates in excess of 20 percent, typically fall in the low single-digit percentages.

A sample Dealer Specials ad can be viewed online at http://dealers.cars.com/specials .

About Cars.com

Partnered with more than 200 leading metro newspapers, television stations and their websites, Cars.com is the most comprehensive destination for those looking to buy or sell a new or used car. The site lists more than 1.8 million vehicles from 12,000 dealer customers, classified advertisers and private parties to offer consumers the best selection of new and used cars online, as well as the content, tools and advice to support their shopping experience. Recently selected by Forbes.com as a Best of the Web site for car shopping, Cars.com combines powerful inventory search tools and new-car configuration with pricing information, photo galleries, buying guides, side- by-side comparison tools, original editorial content and reviews to help millions of car shoppers connect with sellers each month.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, ( http://classifiedventures.com/ ), which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo , Gannett Co., Inc. , The McClatchy Company , Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company .