The Cobalt Group Offers 'The Essentials Web Site Package'
17 November 1998
The Cobalt Group Offers 'The Essentials Web Site Package' -- Gives Auto Dealers a Comprehensive, Brand-Enhancing, Affordable Internet Marketing Solution
SEATTLE--Nov. 17, 1998--The Cobalt Group(tm), the nation's largest provider of Internet marketing solutions for auto dealers, has introduced a package of interactive marketing features and services to provide dealers with a comprehensive, cost-effective, one-stop Internet solution, the company announced today."The Essentials Web Site Package(tm)" from Cobalt provides dealers with key Web site features such as a custom home page and other Web pages, e-mail communication forms for their sales, parts and service departments, a unique domain name, and site registration on the Internet's most popular search engines. It also provides enhanced services that enable dealers to advertise and edit their new and used car inventories online and track sales leads, page visits, and advertising effectiveness. The Essentials Package comes with free customer support and face-to-face consulting from Cobalt's team of 40 highly trained sales consultants.
In addition, the package also includes new and used inventory advertising and numerous direct links to dealers' sites on both DealerNet(R) (www.dealernet.com), one of the oldest and best-known automotive sites on the Web, and Yahoo! (www.autos.yahoo.com), one of the Internet's most popular Web sites.
The Essentials Web Site Package costs $292 per month and includes hosting services for the Web site.
"This is a breakthrough package for dealers," said John Holt, co-CEO of The Cobalt Group. "Before today, getting on the Web was a hit-or-miss proposition. Dealers spent too much money to build mediocre Web sites or they relied too heavily on lead generation services to reach Internet shoppers. The Essentials Web Site Package gives dealers a powerful, integrated sales and marketing solution that combines a brand-enhancing Web site with service, parts, and new and used car leads from some of the Web's most popular sites. Because we also offer consulting services and customer support at no extra charge, we're doing everything we can to help our clients become accomplished digital dealers."
Holt said many dealers have not started to market effectively on the Web because they think it is too expensive or too complicated to implement and manage. Yet millions of auto buyers are flocking to the Web to gather information about cars prior to purchase, or even to negotiate and buy their next vehicle, and dealers are missing opportunities to enhance their reputations, expand their market presence, and develop sustainable competitive advantages.
Recent studies have documented that 70 million Americans were online between January and June and one in four adults already have e-mail addresses. According to a 1998 study by industry analyst J.D. Power and Associates, nearly 17 percent of new car buyers used the Internet in 1997 before making a final buying decision. By the year 2000, more than 60 percent of new car buyers will use the Internet before buying.
By addressing the issues of price, integration and simplicity head-on, Cobalt is working to make it easy for dealers to reach this fast growing group of car buyers. Holt said Cobalt is the first company to offer dealers a one-stop, powerful, yet price-conscious solution.
"As consumers use the Web to shop for new and used cars, dealers know that they have to add a robust Internet effort to their overall marketing mix," Holt said. "But many dealers are confused by all the different options in the market or scared off by unjustifiably high costs. The Essentials Web Site Package gives dealers key elements of an e-commerce Web site, new and used car leads from two of the industry's premier destination sites, and the highest levels of teaching and customer support, all at an unbelievably low monthly price."
Holt said dealers who participate in The Essentials Web Site Package will benefit from Cobalt's recent aggressive efforts to expand the reach and functionality of DealerNet, already one of the Web's leading auto sites. Earlier this fall, Cobalt released a new version of DealerNet that featured the first new car inventory listings service on the Web. Already, more than 900 dealers have agreed to list their new inventory on both DealerNet and Yahoo!
Holt said the company is continuing to aggressively pursue similar distribution and advertising deals with other popular Web sites. "We're an authorized reseller for Microsoft CarPoint's Used Car Marketplace product, and we can also help dealers advertise their inventory and their brand name on Auto Trader Online, Classifieds2000, Digital City, Big Yellow, The Real Yellow Pages Online and a variety of local newspapers, radio stations, and television stations. We will continue to develop other inventory distribution opportunities that benefit our clients' businesses."
"We think it's the dealer's brand that really matters," he said. "A dealer's Web site should be the primary focus of his Internet marketing activities. Armed with a brand-enhancing Web site, we then want to ensure that the dealer's staff is fully trained to service digital customers and we want to help them drive prospects and existing customers to the site. The Essentials Web Site Package makes it easy for dealers to get their share of the Net!"
About The Cobalt Group
The Cobalt Group (www.cobaltgroup.com) is the nation's largest provider of Internet marketing solutions to automotive dealerships, currently serving more than 6,500 dealers nationwide. Founded in March 1995, Cobalt pioneered the development of menu-based, cost-effective dealer Web sites. It is based in Seattle and has more than 160 full-time employees.
Ten auto manufacturers have selected Cobalt as the official provider of Internet marketing solutions for their dealers. The company has also been selected to provide dealer services for many of the nation's largest dealer groups.
-- The Cobalt Group, Inc., Cobalt and The Essentials Web Site
Package are trademarks of The Cobalt Group. DealerNet is a
registered trademark of The Cobalt Group.
-- Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are registered trademarks of Yahoo!
Inc.
-- Microsoft CarPoint is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
-- Auto Trader is a registered trademark of Trader Publishing
Company.
-- Classifieds2000 is a trademark of Classifieds2000 Inc.
-- Big Yellow is a trademark of Bell Atlantic.
-- The Real Yellow Pages is a trademark of BellSouth Corporation.
-- Digital City is a trademark of Digital City, Inc.