Performics Expands Media, Search Role With Toyota

Nick BellPerformics, the search engine marketing arm of the Publicis Groupe's VivaKi Nerve Center, will manage national, regional and local search campaigns for Southeast Toyota Distributors. The Chicago-based company has been working with the automobile manufacturer's division for about three years in one capacity or another.

Technology supports the agreement with Southeast Toyota Distributors to manage and report against the keywords most that are likely searched on. As budgets grow for local campaigns, Performics hopes to take Southeast Toyota Distributors' program and expand it past search and into display.

Performics -- which operates as a stand-alone company with its own profit and loss balance sheet -- built a technology platform it has begun to test in Facebook about a year ago, and advertising exchanges such as DoubleClick late last year. It lets the marketing company buy media similar to search on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis in an auction. But today, budgets at local dealerships are small -- between $1,200 and $2,000.

That's not enough funds to spread past search, says Nick Beil, CEO of Performics. "There's probably about a couple hundred local auto dealers in the southeast region," he says. "The regional association will help fund the campaigns if the dealers run the programs through Performics."

Search engine marketing not only helps Toyota dealers reach more qualified prospects, it also helps capture interest generated through other marketing channels. Performics' integrated search marketing services aim to help Southeast Toyota and its dealers capitalize on this search demand.

Performics aligns bids for keywords that it believes will drive more demand in other media. "If we think Tundra is being pushed aggressively in the southwest through radio, print and TV, we know there will be more search demand for keywords," he says.

Performics has been charged with tackling technology challenges across buying media, from search to television. Applications, such as management tools and reporting platforms, have been developed to compete in the market. The "digital control center" monitors campaigns across the Internet.

Many networks are moving to an auction model, similar to the way companies buy search. Beil points to Microsoft's Navic Networks and Google TV as examples. Large media-buying customers, such as American Express and General Motors, are interested in understanding how to evolve from the "up-front model" to one that looks more like search.

Working mostly with advertisers, Performics does support some VivaKi agencies when a strong competency in search marketing is required.

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