Whether we like it or not, the days of simple advertising are long gone. The rise of digital technologies and the fragmenting of TV have changed the paradigm forever – and in a crowded multimedia market, it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the brilliant from the bull$#!+.
These new markets and platforms can present a daunting prospect for dealers yearning for a simpler time. However, new channels also present an unprecedented opportunity for smart advertising agencies – and for their clients – as long as they can cut through the bull and leverage the unique potential of each platform.
This is the crux of the message from Paul Caldwell, co-owner of Moore and Scarry Advertising (MSA), the nation’s largest automotive-specific advertising agency. Caldwell will be speaking at Digital Dealer in Las Vegas, educating attendees on how they can best strategize their time, money and output to capitalize on the changed marketing landscape.
No Silver Bullet
“We constantly hear from our clients that they just don’t know what to do with their advertising budgets anymore,” he said. “Everybody’s looking for a silver bullet, because they want a competitive edge. But unfortunately that silver bullet just doesn’t exist.”
Moore and Scarry Advertising represents over 200 franchises and dealers nationwide, and this gives the agency a unique perspective to gauge what is – and is not – working in the rapidly changing advertising landscape.
While different dealers will have different ideas about how to spend their advertising budgets, Caldwell will detail Moore and Scarry’s approach to how dealers should allocate their budgets – based on the company’s meticulous and ongoing study of the evolving market.
Get Your Priorities Straight
“We have outlined 10 advertising priorities, and the percentage of an advertising budget that we feel should be allocated to each priority.” he explained. “It’s sort of a trade secret of ours – but we don’t mind sharing it with the delegates at Digital Dealer.”
The first priority which Caldwell identifies is the website – and with 92% of car shoppers going online prior to any purchase, this is arguably the single most important – and most cost-effective element of any advertising budget.
Throughout his presentation at Digital Dealer, Caldwell will examine the multifaceted elements that make up a cohesive advertising campaign – from traditional (TV, radio, print) to digital (SEO, SEM, and electronic media).
Adopting a research-based approach utilizing real-world examples, he will pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of every facet of every medium, and identify what percentage of every budget should be allocated to each priority.
Holy Grail
He will also tackle what has been described as the “Holy Grail” of advertising – how to utilize the power of social media – and will present a new tool called “SPARQ” which has been designed to capitalize on social media’s (and especially Facebook’s) unique capacity to influence.
Paul will be speaking at the 17th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas on September 23rd. Dealers looking to cut through the bull and maximize the return on their advertising investment should not miss this unique opportunity to get under the hood of the nation’s leading automotive advertising agency.
Paul Caldwell is co-owner of Moore and Scarry Advertising. During his time at MSA, he was VP of Sales at Haystak and prior to MSA, he worked at McGee & Starr, Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Virtual Lending Source, and previously owned a number of radio stations in Savannah, Georgia.