• April 2, 2003

A new advertising sales network of online auto sites was announced Tuesday by the Automotive Brand Network. It includes Autobytel Inc. Network, cars.com, CarsDirect.com and Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. The goal of the Automotive Brand Network is to help marketers reach consumers by developing opportunities for all categories of advertisers outside of automotive manufacturers and dealers. There are 7.7 million unique users per month to the networks' sites. "Placing ads alongside some of the most trusted brands in the business and speaking directly to the consumer can yield higher ROI for our clients," said Bob Mahon of Automotive Brand Network. The Automotive Brand Network allows national advertisers to purchase one schedule with geographically specific messaging for each of their outlets. Through user-entered ZIP code data, the technology serves ads for that consumer's local area. This offering creates an ideal opportunity for national coop.