All posts by Kent Ecklor

As we enter the end of the year (and holiday sale season), auto marketers are motivated to deliver “Hail Mary” plays —bold, high-impact campaigns designed to resonate with today’s consumers and drive last-minute wins. This post is the third installment in our Experian Automotive Series, spotlighting what leading marketers are prioritizing in the second half of the year. Our first post unpacked how to measure marketing effectiveness using GA4 and attribution strategies. The second post focused on consumer communication—highlighting how texting, direct mail, and zip code targeting are reshaping engagement. Now, we turn our attention to building Fourth Quarter wins with a marketing playbook. From assigning a campaign “Quarterback” to leveraging CPO and service strategies, this post outlines four actionable plays to help you finish the year strong. Playbooks aren’t just reserved for football season. Well-prepared auto marketers are leveraging strategic frameworks to execute their marketing campaigns seamlessly. Whether it’s navigating inventory shifts, optimizing service campaigns, or refining audience targeting, building a marketing playbook tailored to your goals can turn fourth-quarter pressure into performance. Before you close out 2025, make sure the following plays are called: 1) Appoint a Dedicated in-house “Product User” (aka ‘Quarterback’) Just like a winning football team assigns key roles to execute plays seamlessly, successful marketers must have a go-to leader who knows the tools and resources they’re leveraging. This designated resource can rally your team, collaborate on the right plays, and determine the audiences to target—ensuring your products score big with every campaign. Pro-Tip: With Experian Marketing Engine, success comes when a dedicated Lead user can view their AutoInsights and consistently download AutoAudiences. 2) Data with Direction: Guide Every Play The best football players and the best marketers don’t just ‘set’ a plan and ‘forget’ it. They study footage or analyze trends and adjust based on the challenges they face. As a result, marketers need more than one data source. Passes and assists matters—Autotrader notes, "Today's average car buyer has 62 touchpoints on the path to purchase, but the average dealer only tracks 2.” 1 Dealers, Agencies, and OEMs need to interpret multiple data sources, adopt multi-touch attribution (MTA), and adjust their marketing plan. Being data-guided means using insights with context, deploying targeted campaigns, estimating ROI across touchpoints, aligning with all available data sources— and knowing when to call an audible. Pro-Tip: Stay ahead of the curve and measure the effectiveness of your automotive campaigns with Experian Auto Solutions. 3) Consider CPO and Service as Part of Your ‘Special Teams’ Just like kick returns and field goals can decide a game, your CPO and service strategies can create a margin of victory for a dealership. CPO and Used vehicles are in high demand. Review the stats: CPO sales increased 7% MoM from August and are running 2.6% higher YTD when considering the same period from last year 2 Used cars outsell New ones 2:1 3 When it comes to Service, the cost of a repair order (RO) is increasing, and dealers need to stay agile. According to Car Dealership Guy, “The next era of [Service department] growth probably won’t come from charging more —it will come from operating smarter and more efficiently” 4 Pro-Tip: Explore Experian’s CPO Affinity Audience and Service Affinity Audience to identify customers likely to make a CPO purchase or schedule service within a given timeframe. With a Service Affinity, try:(1) Promoting bundled offers tied to seasonal repair (Cold Weather Readiness Check: Tire rotation + Cabin Air Filter Replacement)(2) Sending timely service coupons or Miles Driven reminders.Encourage customers to choose your dealership. 4) Transparency with Data Integration can make a Dealer an MVP with Customers Between a strong omnichannel experience, Vehicle History Data, and truly understanding customers’ needs, each dealer has to have a competitive edge. Cox Automotive’s, Lori Whittman emphasizes, 80% of Consumers expect to work with a dealer...[customers] want to figure out what they can afford. 5 Create a personalized experience by connecting data and reducing customer frustration. Pro-Tip: Experian is the only primary data source for vehicle data, consumer data, and credit data. Experian Marketing Engine helps dealers reach (I)n (T)he (M)odel (M)arket (ITMM) customers where they are in their purchase journey. With a decline in financing incentives and loan & lease payments increasing 6 lean into EME’s Sales Affinity Audience. Consider targeting customers that have a propensity to lease, finance, or trade in their vehicles (amongst other purchase type options). Key Takeaway: Whether you are a Dealer, OEM, Agency, or Lender, as you close out 2025, remember that success in automotive marketing requires both strategic planning and adaptability with compliant data that fits your unique needs. Remember these 4 Pro-Tips when optimizing your playbook: Assign dedicated platform users Integrate multiple data sources to deliver targeted, effective campaigns Include CPO and Service strategies as essential game-changers Transparent integration can keep your dealership in the end zone Decide where you can capture valuable margins based on trends, consider your data consultants, and collaborate on seamless experiences that meet consumer expectations. Ready for Growth Opportunities with Experian Data? Find out more about the data and solutions you need to make critical business decisions. Connect with Experian Automotive and start engaging with the right audiences at each stage of their car buying journey. Learn More Sources: https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights-hub/autotrader-finds-dealers-miss-key-sales-and-wasted-ad-budgets-with-92-of-vehicle-sales-untraceable/ https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights-hub/used-retail-vehicle-sales-august-2025/ https://news.dealershipguy.com/p/used-car-pipelines-are-transforming-here-s-how-dealers-are-building-multiple-buying-channels https://news.dealershipguy.com/p/service-profits-soar-to-record-highs-but-dealer-pricing-power-has-its-limit-report-2025-08-19 https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights-hub/watch-now-2025-cox-automotive-leadership-roundtable-sessions/ https://www.experian.com/automotive/auto-credit-webinar-form

Continuing our in-depth exploration of what automotive marketers are prioritizing, we’re taking a closer look at how refining communication and messaging strategies can help enhance the connection with consumers.  As communication preferences continue to evolve for consumers, businesses have to rethink how they engage.  By creating strategic plans to stay ahead, dealers, along with their advertisers and agencies, can build stronger relationships and drive better outcomes across various departments. Here are three ways to align your messaging with today’s consumers:   1. Leverage the Preferred Method of Communication for Consumers:  Text messages are read 98% of the time and within 3 minutes 95% of the time, while answer rates for phone calls from unknown numbers have dropped below 15%. ¹  When it comes to Fixed Ops, Derek Simonds, Executive VP of Automotive at Numa,  quotes Cox Automotive and CDK, “Over 90% of service customers would rather text with the service department than they would talk to them.” ²    According to J.D. Power, client retention is key, with 82% of consumers choosing to cut ties with a dealership due to poor communication alone.  2. Assess Your Local Audience and Use Direct Mail to Connect:  Rural markets may still appreciate traditional direct mail in smaller marketers. ³  When used strategically, direct mail could remind consumers of a dealer's presence and offerings.    Dealers in these areas may find that physical mailers are still effective, especially when paired with offers or event invites that speak directly to the needs of the community.  3. Generate Offers by ZIP Code:  Consider a ZIP code strategy and monitor local trends to move inventory with offers that focus on affordability for consumers.  Do what makes sense for your ZIP, dial in what’s moving, what’s not, and experiment with messaging.4  Let your ZIP code data guide you: spot trends, adjust offers, and refine your message accordingly. This kind of geotargeting ensures you’re marketing to the right audience.  Key Takeaway:   Having a strong understanding of your consumer base and how they prefer to communicate is essential. Leading dealers and marketers constantly test, learn, and evolve.  Right now, texting might be a preference for most consumers and direct mail could work in remote areas but be sure to pair these insights with a strategy that creates a well-rounded, responsive experience.  Need help getting started?  The Experian Marketing Engine can help with ZIP code targeting and unlock more meaningful consumer engagement. We empower automotive marketers to identify the right audience, uncover the most appropriate communication channels, develop messages that resonate, and measure the effectiveness of their marketing activities.  Our data driven and predictive modeling audiences can identify consumer preferences and needs proactively. Connect with Experian Automotive and start reaching in-market consumers today!    Discover More Sources:  https://news.dealershipguy.com/p/dealers-are-saving-thousands-in-labor-in-fixed-ops-2025-05-30 https://news.dealershipguy.com/p/customers-calling-the-service-deptartment-best-dealerships-are-evolving-longo-toyota-numa-2025-07-18  https://news.dealershipguy.com/p/the-road-to-40-stores-within-10-years-proven-frameworks-to-scale-effectively-2025-07-25 https://news.dealershipguy.com/p/new-vs-used-car-sales-how-zip-code-specific-strategies-are-shaping-dealer-results-07-29-2025