A Message To Car Maker PR Execs; HELP (Before We All Go Buh-Bye)

But First A Message To Car Maker PR Execs Editorial Auto Sites Like Well Funded And Founded Autoblog Are Closing, Many Others Are Already Gone Or Are Becoming Hobbies.

Why? Insufficient Ad Support For Editorial Publications. New Car Ad Money Is Going To Google And On Line “Classified Sections”.

Even Though Most Purely Editorial Auto Sites Cannot Generate The Revenue Needed To Maintain Their Business And Despite Not Recieving Car Maker Monetary Support Virtually All Sites Still Give Away Space For Promotional Exposure To Car Marketers For Free, Even Though Car Makers Spend Untold Millions Of Dollars Attempting To Reach The Exact Same Audience That Editorial Earned Media Provides Them At No Charge.

The Historic PR Exec Refrain For Turning Down A Request For A Quid Po Pro Continues To Be “I Have No Cash Budget, It's All Controlled By Advertising.” This May Have Been Acceptable In The Past, But Continuing This Suicidal Practice Of Sites Giving Away Audience For Free Has Got To Be Updated Before It Puts Us All Out Of Business.

Research Shows That Car Maker PR Promotion Viewed By Shoppers On Editorial Sites Generate The Brand Impact Of Paid-For Advertising, So They Should Pay For The Benefits They Receive.(Before We All Go Buh-Bye).

Kudos PR Guys! Your Unpaid-For Editorial Brand Exposure Is Virtually Tied with Paid-For TV Advertising In influencing Automotive Purchasers; Says Foresight Research - Time For R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and Sharing Budgets For Partner Publishers Says TACH

Editors Note: I'd say that this data finally proves and justifies car maker PR execs able to step up with budgets to monetarily support the the publishers of automotive editorial web sites that have been giving car companies space and time for free and providing effective visibility for auto brands without receiving even a minimum payment, will it have to come to..."no monetary support, no more freebies?"

ROCHESTER, Mich., Aug. 4, 2021 -- When comparing the public relations budget to the marketing budget the PR budget is not "chump change", but Foresight Research calls it a marketing "best buy" Foresight Research has been measuring marketing communications for much more than a decade. Of all the communications channel levers that an auto manufacturer can pull, public relations is almost tied with TV and closely follows digital.

So, to back this statement up a few facts are presented. Every year Foresight Research interviews over 5,000 new car and truck buyers. Respondents are asked a lot of questions, but one is what marketing communications channel influenced them to buy their vehicle. Public relations clocks in at 24% year, after year, after year. Digital and TV advertising is a little more - but just a little more. For the most recent model year (2019 – the last pre pandemic year) PR closed the gap further as PR influenced 28% of all buyers, while TV stayed constant. Given that typical PR budgets are a generally just a fraction of the advertising budget - but the results are similar – automotive PR is a "best buy".

Drilling down to present more evidence of the PR value – a few more facts are presented. 38% of all buyers say that they remember seeing an article about the vehicle they bought. Another 12% recall seeing a digital "buff book" article. And 28% say they were influenced to purchase by their exposure to public relations. Of course, they also used other forms of communications: brochures, digital, TV, print ads and experiential events and auto shows. But PR is right up there. In addition to that, buyers influenced by PR are also more often influenced by the other forms of communication. So, when you put it all together, there actually is synergism.

This affordable report now available from Foresight Research does a deep dive into the power of automotive public relations. Visit the website, e mail or call for more information and a webinar for you and your team.

Since 1998, Foresight Research has been providing consumer insights for the automotive industry. Foresight Research is a recognized leader in measuring auto shows, experiential marketing/sponsored events, as well as automotive public relations, vehicle accessories and motorsports.

SOURCE Foresight Research