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PureCars, a Raycom Media subsidiary, announced its acquisition of competitor Showroom Logic's assets, consolidating two major automotive digital advertising platforms. The deal represents consolidation in the automotive marketing technology space, with PureCars positioning itself as a comprehensive solution for dealerships, OEMs, and agencies seeking to drive traffic and convert customers through its SmartAdvertising platform.
Drive Motors, a San Francisco-based ecommerce platform for dealerships, announced the hiring of Matt Weinberg as Senior Vice President of Consumer Experience, bringing him over from Showroom Logic where he served as Chief Strategy Officer. The hire follows the company's $5.2M fundraising round and positions the executive to lead consumer-facing initiatives as Drive Motors expands its online-checkout capabilities for major dealerships. The post highlights Drive Motors' leadership expansion during a growth phase in the automotive digital commerce space.
Kevin Frye shares his review of Digital Dealer 23 in Las Vegas, blending humor and industry insight as he reflects on the conference's value for dealers and vendors looking to advance their digital retailing strategies. The thread serves as both a recap and a conversation starter about the state of automotive digital marketing, with Frye's signature storytelling style setting the tone for community discussion.
ActivEngage announced the launch of ActivOne, a newly redesigned digital messaging platform for car dealerships addressing consumer adoption trends and dealer communication gaps. One commenter criticized CDK's competing "Next Gen Website" offering, suggesting dealers should avoid it, though discussion of the new ActivOne platform itself appears limited in the thread.
ActivEngage and CDK Global announced a partnership to unveil Concierge Chat, a new communication tool integrated into CDK's Next Gen website platform, at the Digital Dealer 23 conference in Las Vegas. The companies demonstrated this feature at CDK's booth (#121) as part of showcasing enhanced capabilities in their next-generation dealer website solutions. The announcement highlights the automotive industry's continued focus on improving customer communication and digital engagement tools for dealerships.
DealerRefresh organized a panel discussion at the 23rd Digital Dealer Conference titled "Freshen Up!" to tackle three industry topics: automotive attribution, e-commerce, and vendor accountability. The panel featured dealers and vendors including Brad Paschal, Chris Leslie, Chad Graves, and Stauning, with the discussion recorded and shared for those who missed the live event. While specific conclusions aren't detailed in the thread excerpts, the moderators emphasized designing a candid, substantive conversation rather than typical conference panel rhetoric.
LotLinx, a VIN-specific digital marketing platform for dealers, hired John Gottschalk as Senior Vice President of Client Relationships, bringing nearly 20 years of automotive and digital marketing experience from his previous role as SVP of Dealer Relations at FordDirect. The announcement indicates LotLinx's focus on strengthening dealer relationships and developing enterprise solutions through seasoned industry leadership. The key insight is that LotLinx is investing in senior talent to scale its dealer communications and strategic offerings.
A DealerRefresh post compiles deals, discounts, and giveaways available to dealers attending Digital Dealer 23 in Las Vegas, highlighting vendor offers and resources. The thread serves as a practical cheat sheet for conference-goers looking to maximize value from vendor booths and sessions. The key takeaway is that engaged dealers can leverage a wide range of vendor promotions to support their dealerships amid market challenges.
MollyCurry compiled a cheat sheet of deals, discounts, and giveaways offered by exhibitors at Digital Dealer 23 (DD23) in Las Vegas, a major conference where automotive dealers gather to learn strategies and discover tools to improve profitability. The post emphasizes that successful dealers actively seek out vendor partnerships and product innovations at industry conferences to support their sales efforts. The thread appears to serve as a practical resource guide for attendees looking to maximize value from their conference participation.
A dealership employee was caught on video taking a customer's Camaro through a restaurant drive-through during a routine service visit, prompting discussion among dealers about how prevalent unauthorized joy rides are, whether this behavior is tacitly accepted or actively discouraged in the industry, and what preventive measures and management practices can protect customer vehicles and dealer reputation. The thread explores the operational and reputational implications of employee misconduct during vehicle service, with focus on accountability and customer trust.
Google is hosting a marketing presentation at Taphouse Grill in Seattle on September 27th, covering strategies for marketing dealerships through Google's platforms. The event requires RSVP through EpicParties.com and is restricted to attendees 21 and older, organized in partnership with DealerEProcess and Content Motive.
The post announces an after-party event for Digital Dealer 23 (DD23) conference attendees on September 19th at JEWEL nightclub in the Aria Las Vegas, sponsored by DealerEProcess, Content Motive, Phone Ninjas, and Vista Dash. Attendees must be 21 or older and RSVP through EpicParties.com. This is a straightforward event announcement with no discussion or debate in the thread.
Hyundai is launching a pickup truck (likely called Santa Cruz) to reverse declining sales, prompting dealer discussion about whether it can compete in the truck market. Participants debate whether Hyundai will build a car-based pickup like Honda's Ridgeline—which hasn't gained traction in truck-centric markets—or a true body-on-frame truck comparable to Toyota's Tacoma/Tundra, with one dealer suggesting Hyundai could leverage existing platforms like the Kia Borrego to achieve this.
A 2017 press release announces Semcasting's acquisition of Transparency AI (TAI), an Orlando-based automotive marketing attribution company, for an undisclosed sum. The two companies had already been working together since 2015, combining Semcasting's patented IP targeting technology with TAI's attribution tools to connect online and offline customer activity for auto dealer groups and major listing publishers. The deal aims to bring deterministic attribution capabilities directly to the automotive industry.
A PCG Research report on dealership website platforms revealed significant gaps in conversion tracking and analytics, while forum members debated optimal website design strategies—particularly around call-to-action placement and aggressiveness. The discussion highlighted that most dealership sites rely too heavily on lead capture mechanisms that may actually reduce conversions, with participants advocating for cleaner designs that provide value to shoppers first. A key debate emerged over whether A/B testing is practical for individual dealers given small traffic samples and constantly changing inventory/market conditions, with some arguing that multi-dealer testing would yield more reliable results.
California dealers are complaining about Carjojo, an online broker that scrapes dealer inventory and pricing from multiple sources, then republishes vehicles at unauthorized prices and charges customers reservation fees—all without dealer authorization or proper licensing. Participants view the business model as deceptive and unethical, with one dealer questioning whether Carjojo has any legal right to access, monetize, and advertise their inventory. The consensus is strongly negative: dealers see this as fraudulent price advertising and an assault on dealer integrity, with little support for the practice even in its current form.
Craigslist is suing Instamotor for allegedly scraping data from their platform. A commenter expresses strong frustration with the practice, suggesting aggressive legal and public consequences are warranted to stop similar violations in the industry.
The thread examines the Authenticom lawsuit against CDK and Reynolds & Reynolds, which centers on whether dealers truly control their own DMS data or whether the dominant DMS providers can restrict third-party access to it. The case has broad implications for the auto industry's vendor ecosystem, touching on data ownership, integration fees, and competitive dynamics. The key insight is that while dealers nominally own their data, practical control may be slipping away as DMS giants tighten access and monetize integrations.
LotLinx announced an expansion of their VS product suite with two new CX solutions aimed at improving mobile car shopper conversions for dealers. The additions include CX - Photo AI, which uses artificial intelligence to optimize underperforming ad photos, and CX - Amplified Mobile Pages (AMP), which delivers fast-loading, mobile-friendly VIN landing pages designed to drive click-to-contact and click-for-price actions. The thread is a press release with no dealer discussion, serving primarily as an announcement of the new product availability.