The Inventory Gridlock on Auto Sites

If you are considering starting an online publication/service, try automotive: the inventory crunch is huge in the category, with most of the endemic auto sites being sold out for 2007, and some buyers planning 2008 budgets already, reports MediaWeek. According to Steve Kerho, Nissan’s director of media and interactive marketing, “We now plan as much as 18 months out,” he said.
On benefit: marketers are looking at blogs and other places to find inventory: automakers have historically been first to embrace emerging channels such as podcasts, behavioral targeting and video. Lon Bollenbacher, head of Yahoo Search Marketing’s automotive category, said that many brands are investing heavily in traditional sponsorships in categories like sports and music, while also dabbling in social media.
Video inventory is also increasingly popular. For instance, brands like Volvo are testing Google’s new click-to-play network.

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