Auto Makers Steer Towards Mobile Advertising

imageNissan and Infiniti have built tailored Web sites for the mobile phone that will allow customers to view car information, pictures, request quotes and locate dealers despite the small screen and limited keypad. The sites, respectively at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, will even offer customers the ability to build and price a custom car. The sites, which were built by New York-based Usablenet Mobile, are just two of the latest examples of automakers showing interest in mobile advertising.

In a recent interview, Michael Bayle, senior director, for Yahoo’s Connected Life, told us that when it comes to display advertising on mobile, he believes the automotive sector is the leading category: “We have probably worked with every auto manufacturer in 2008, and many times they re-upped their budgets. Companies, like Jaguar, have been on record saying that 10 percent of their digital budget is in mobile and it’s only increasing between 2008 and 2009.” He said when advertising on mobile, a car manufacturer is promoting a brand, not trying to sell a car. “They are measuring things like, how many hand-raisers did I reach. How many people went out of their way to say I’m interested in that car….It eschews the myth that people won’t research on the mobile phone. If that were the case, why are people spending so much time looking at the auto sites? They are clearly researching.”

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