Study: Auto Shoppers Ignore Print Ads; More Auto Ad Spending Online

As more new car shoppers head to auto dealership websites and avoid newspaper ads, more ad dollars are spent on the internet, according automotive marketing research firm Friedman-Swift Associates, writes Brandweek.

“It’s a very real possibility that dealers will spend more ad money driving traffic to their websites,” said Judy George, Friedman-Swift, Cincinnati president. “As more dealers look at their own numbers and see that only 35 percent of their customers are looking at the newspaper before buying a car, it will change their advertising habits.”

Of the 12,270 new-car customers surveyed in 2005, a growing number are using dealer sites before making a purchase.

In February, eMarketer predicted that over the next two years automakers will increase their online ad spending from 2005’s budget of $1.4 billion to $2.7 billion in 2007

CBS Radio Revenue Suffers without Howard

CBS has released its first quarterly earnings results since its spin-off as an independent company, and while total revenue was up 4 percent, the radio division has suffered, according to Mediapost. TV and outdoor each showed a 5 percent revenue growth, but radio saw a 6 percent decline.

Web Marketers Lobby for Five-Second Ads

Five-second video ads could be the future of advertising on the web, according to Arik Czerniak, CEO for Metacafe.com - which provides short-form video content - writes Ad Age. Two months ago, Metacafe started selling ad space and now runs five-second ads from H&R Block.

Millard Group Considering B2B Online Quarterly Co-Op Survey

Millard Group’s November acquisition by InfoUSA gave its Decision Direct Research division more access to B-to-B mailers. Now the division is taking advantage of access to clients of sister list companies Walter Karl and Edith Roman to include more in-depth business-to-business research for multichannel marketers, DM News reports.

CMO Council: Companies Lack Customer Insight and Intimacy

A new study by the CMO council found that marketers are out of touch with consumers because of a lack of formal contact with them. According to the study, Select & Connect: Strategies for Targeted Acquisition and Retention, nearly 75 percent of marketers did not have a customer advisory board or council and the same number do not have a formal online community of users or buyers, BtoB writes.

Pace Communications, North Face Create ‘Epic’ Online Mag

The North Face - global provider of technical outdoor apparel and gear - announced that it has partnered with Pace Communications to launch a new online magazine called Epic, which targets outdoor adventure enthusiasts.