Category Archives: marketing

Maven Gig Expands to San Francisco

Posted on 20 June 2017 by Ken Zino

By 2020, an estimated 43 % of the U.S. workforce will be made up of freelance workers. The nature of employment is changing, as corporations continue to shed middle class jobs. Maven Gig claims it is a “nimble platform that will grow and adapt with the shift.” Continue reading →

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Automotive CX Summit – Dual Style to Customer Development?

Posted on 12 June 2017 by Erik Derr

“People liked going into the Apple Store, they liked to go somewhere to talk to a person face-to-face for support or to explain something. this is complex technology, it strikes me that’s the analogy the [automotive] industry should look at and say, “Ah-ha,” Munzel told AutoInformed during a phone interview. Continue reading →

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First Non-Toxic Garage Floor Coating Claimed

Posted on 7 June 2017 by Ken Zino

Rainguard has released a garage floor coating that it claims is the automotive industry’s first non-toxic technology. Continue reading →

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Kiss Your Privacy Goodbye as Mastermind Grows

Posted on 6 June 2017 by Ken Zino

More than 6,000 dealerships now have access to the Mastermind technology that uses thousands of data points, gathered from the dealer management system (DMS) and combines it with Big Data – social media profiles, financial records, product and consumer life-cycle information, socio-demographics among other privacy invasion data – to calculate when a customer is ready to buy and why. Continue reading →

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William Berman COO of AutoNation Resigns

Posted on 16 May 2017 by Ken Zino

The lack of a succession plan is not good news for stock holders. At the end of March 2017, AutoNation owned and operated 372 new vehicle franchises. AutoNation has sold more than 10 million vehicles, possibly the first automotive retailer to reach this milestone. Continue reading →

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Ford Mustang Claimed as Most Popular Sports Car Globally

Posted on 25 April 2017 by Ken Zino

This gets into a murky automotive marketing claims… Continue reading →

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Mercedes-Benz Car Sharing Expands to Berlin via Croove

Posted on 24 April 2017 by Ken Zino

Four months after a small pilot program in Munich, a private car-sharing platform from Mercedes-Benz is slowly being expanding into in other major German cities. Now Croove is in Berlin with a program that continues to be open to vehicles of all makes, a decided departure from General Motor’s Lyft car sharing. Continue reading →

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Dodge Challenger SRT Demon Runs Fastest Quarter-Mile Ever

Posted on 13 April 2017 by Ken Zino

With 840 horsepower and 770 pounds-feet of torque from a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 engine, the new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is the most-powerful production muscle car in history. It posted the world’s fastest quarter-mile with an elapsed time (ET) … Continue reading →

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Porsche Q1 2017 Best in History

Posted on 12 April 2017 by Ken Zino

Growth came from China, the company’s home market of Germany, as well as the Panamera and Macan model lines that had double-digit growth. Continue reading →

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NYAS: Regal Returns as – What Else? – a Crossover

Posted on 11 April 2017 by Ken Zino

The former Detroit Big Three can’t give away a car, but are basking in the strong sales sunshine of pickup trucks (no Buick thus far?), SUVs and crossovers. The much Diminished Big Three – held 43.8% of the U.S. March vehicle market, down from 46% last month – despite an ongoing boom in light truck and crossover sales, slipping from 44.5% last March. Continue reading →

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March U.S. Auto Sales Slump on Trump Russian Ties – Possibly Treason – Over Helping Communist Meddling with Election

Posted on 5 April 2017 by Ken Zino

Perhaps more ominous is the average length of time a car occupied a dealer’s – 70 days in March – the longest amount of time since July 2009. This is good for banks doing the financing but maybe a problem for potential customers, and certainly auto dealers who are holding the floor plan loans as the calendar turns over – incurring interest – each day, every un-sold day. Continue reading →

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Daimler to Expand Car Sharing in China

Posted on 28 March 2017 by Ken Zino

Aside from the hype, Benz is arguably the first premium car manufacturer to offer both free-floating and station-based car sharing services in China. As such the consolidation of the two brands is an important milestone in the expansion of mobility services, one that mirrors a global trend among major automakers. Continue reading →

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SEAT Sets Profit Record of €143m in 2016

Posted on 25 March 2017 by Ken Zino

Worldwide sales were nearly 410,000 vehicles. SEAT is a member of the Volkswagen Group, the multinational has its headquarters in Martorell (Barcelona), exporting 81% of its vehicles in over 80 countries through a network of 1,700 dealerships. Continue reading →

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Digital Media is Dirty, Rife with Kickbacks, Fraudulent Claims

Posted on 24 March 2017 by Ken Zino

Years – if not decades – of abuse by digital media online ads with fraudulent or inflated traffic claims and ambiguous view-ability standards about how the ads actually appear on screens, have caused national advertisers to demand changes. Continue reading →

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Corvette Racing Wins Third Straight Twelve Hours of Sebring

Posted on 20 March 2017 by Ken Zino

There’s a reason why factory teams field multiple car s in sports car endurance racing as was amply demonstrated last weekend. Continue reading →

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