- EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT…
MADA OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES ITS (YOUR) PURCHASE OF CARSOUP.COM!!!
THE PARADIGM JUST SHIFTED!
The Missouri Automobile Dealers Association (MADA) is extremely excited
and pleased to announce that after nearly 6 months of research, the MADA
Executive Committee approved the purchase of the franchise rights to own and
operate CarSoup.com in the entire state of Missouri
What does this mean for members of MADA?
Dealer members of MADA own an automotive website (in on-line speak this is
sometimes referred to as an automotive vertical). Instead of relying on,
and paying fees to third party sites to advertise and display your inventory,
your ownership of this industry parking lot allows dealers to control its
on-line destiny just like the real estate business has done with its MLS (multi-listing service).
For more than 12 years, CarSoup.com has provided results for dealers
following a dealer-first philosophy. CarSoup.com is the top automotive
web-site in its headquartered state, Minnesota and MADA is confident it will be
number 1 in Missouri, too. CarSoup is a national organization and is currently being represented
through various media outlets in over 70 cities. In Missouri, for the past 6 years, it
has been partnered in this way with the local St. Louis NBC affiliate, KSDK-TV.
MADA is launching the first of its $2,000,000.00 CarSoup.com media
advertising campaign on January 1, 2011 in the St. Louis and Columbia/Jefferson City media markets.
CarSoup.com will be advertised in prime on KSDK-TV, FOX-2, St. Louis Post Dispatch, FOX Sports Midwest
(Cardinals & Blues), Charter Cable, KMIZ and the St. Louis Auto Show.
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MADA’s roll-out business plan is to launch in the Kansas City/St. Joseph
media markets by early Spring 2011, the Cape Girardeau media market by Summer of 2011, the Springfield media market by Fall of 2011 and the media market by Winter 2011.
Here are just a few of the philosophical reasons why MADA has chosen to
take on the challenge of reigning in and controlling the madness surrounding the
on-line/web medium of researching, buying and selling vehicles:
One,
this medium is not going to go away any time soon;
Two,
CarSoup.com directs your customer base to your vehicles first (based on the
model being searched) before they start seeing the same vehicles in other
markets or states, as well as your finance products only, your service shop
only, and, your credit application only for interested finance customers (not a
national lending chain);
Three,
CarSoup.com advertises in your market consistently, not just on Super Bowl
Sunday and the latest sports play-offs;
Four,
CarSoup.com doesn’t sell your inventory and information to everyone in the free
world (this helps keep you from buying back your very own leads);
Five,
MADA isn’t a Fortune 500 company, or a mega-media conglomerate…MADA’s
CarSoup.com will consistently invest in local media buys, not continue to
increase dealer advertising costs in order to buy more “customer empowering
stuff”;
Six,
CarSoup.com is designed for the dealer…it is the only on-line vehicle vertical
that isn’t owned or operated by media…it is yours…dealers must learn that
empowering other on-line vehicle verticals with their own inventory, only
provides control for the media to consistently increase and control advertising
costs. |