PRESS RELEASE
Auto-By-Tel To Air Commercial On Super Bowl
Auto-By-Tel Brings Car-Buying Revolution to the Super Bowl; First
Internet Company to Air Commercial on Super Bowl
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 16 -- Auto-By-Tel, the online
automobile purchasing program, proves that Internet commerce is here
to stay. The company is making history as the first Internet business
to advertise on the Super Bowl. Leonard Nimoy will provide the voice
over for the thirty second animated spot scheduled to air during the
second quarter of Super Bowl XXXI. Taking a straight shot at
traditional car-buying, the commercial will illustrate how the
Auto-By-Tel process has changed car-buying forever.
"Auto-By-Tel makes the consumer the champion in the car-buying
process -- what better place to start our national broadcast campaign
than on the world's best known championship game?" said Peter Ellis,
the company's President and CEO, of Auto-By-Tel's decision to enter
this high stakes advertising market. "Auto-By-Tel's appearance on the
Super Bowl is a clear indication that Internet commerce has come of
age."
When the Internet was taking its baby steps, Ellis, a former
car-dealer, bought his first computer. After two decades as one of
California's (and the country's) leading automotive retailers, Ellis
had a visionary idea: to put control of the automobile purchasing
process in the hands of the consumer. Operating out of a tiny office
in Corona del Mar with only four employees, Ellis took Auto-By-Tel
online. Within a week, Auto-By-Tel received 2,000 new car Purchase
Requests. Twenty-one months later, Purchase Requests have exceeded
350,000. Auto-By-Tel, in existence for less than two years, has
revolutionized the car-selling industry and, in the process, has
helped legitimize the Internet as a serious marketplace.
Auto-By-Tel's success epitomizes the Internet's appeal as a
consumer- friendly medium that empowers users through vast information
resources and expedient transactions. With its low-cost, no-haggle
program, Auto-By-Tel quickly hit a nerve with the car-buying public.
Exhibiting a growth rate extraordinary even by the Internet's
standards -- Purchase Requests have increased over 500% in the last
year alone -- Auto-By-Tel has become a serious force to contend with
in the $600 billion per year new/used car retailing industry.
According to a recent article in Advertising Age, one in five
consumers in the market for a new or used car goes online. "We
believe that after the huge Super Bowl audience sees what a difference
Auto-By-Tel can make in the car- buying process, that figure is going
to change dramatically," says Betsy Isroelit of RBI Communications,
Inc., agency for Auto-By-Tel.
The Auto-By-Tel spot, animated by Playhouse Pictures using digital
ink and paint and three dimension EFX, will air January 26th, 1997
during the second quarter of the Super Bowl (Fox Network). Creative
content of the commercial will not be revealed prior to air date, but,
says RBI Creative Director Ron Isroelit, "We believe when people look
back on the 1997 Super Bowl commercials and pinpoint the companies
that were the most visionary, Auto-By-Tel will top the list. Just as
Apple's famous 1984 commercial, which premiered during the Super Bowl,
foretold the advent of user-friendly computers, we believe Auto-
By-Tel's Super Bowl commercial is poised to foretell a strikingly
similar revolution in car buying."
The Auto-By-Tel Super Bowl production team is headed by RBI's
Creative Directors Ron and Betsy Isroelit. The commercial will be
directed by Gerry Woolery at Playhouse Pictures' Hollywood studio.
Art direction is by John Thompson and Drew Gentle and noted arranger
and conductor Buddy Freed serves as musical director.
Auto-By-Tel Corporation runs the leading online, automotive
purchasing program, having processed in excess of 350,000 Purchase
Requests to date. The company believes it has one of the largest
commercial websites, accounting for a substantial volume of
Internet-based commerce. There are over 1,500 participating dealers
servicing consumers in the U.S. and Canada. All must maintain high
CSIs (customer satisfaction index) and are constantly evaluated by the
consumer. The program is available on the Internet at
www.autobytel.com or on any of the major online services and can be
used by U.S. and Canadian residents.
Playhouse Pictures was established in 1952 and has remained on the
cutting edge of animation ever since. Producers of over 3,500
commercials and short subject films, Playhouse has won every national
animation award, including an Emmy and the coveted Venice Cup.
Playhouse was instrumental in the development of animation for
television in its early days, and, more recently, pioneered the use of
digital ink and paint in national commercials.
RBI Communications, Inc., established in 1988, is a leader in the
hot new field of Internet advertising, public relations and website
creation and management. With offices and production facilities on
both east and west coasts and clients throughout the country, the
Hollywood-based firm operates as a full-service advertising and public
relations agency specializing in Internet and retail clients.
CONTACT: Melanie Webber, 213-960-1360, melanie@autobytel.com, or
Cassandra Cavanah, 213-469-1906, cassandra@autobytel.com
