automotive

Cars.com To Make Return Appearance During Super Bowl

cars.com homepage Well, someone still sees confidence in the auto industry. Despite increasingly softening auto sales, Cars.com will make another appearance on the Super Bowl this February.

The company first appeared on the Super Bowl last year with a number of spots that depicted humorous situations in which people refrained from using a backup negotiating technique--such as using a witch doctor against a salesman--because of the confidence they received doing research on Cars.com. The tagline was "Confidence comes standard." The new television spot, which has not been completed, will offer a twist on that campaign, according to the company.

"Last year was very successful for us," Carolyn Crafts, the company's vice president of marketing, tells Marketing Daily. "It's a great time of year for us to launch our campaign, and it's a time when consumers are actively engaged in advertising."

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The Super Bowl spot will kick off the company's 2009 media campaign, which will employ the company's local newspaper and television partners. Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, which is owned by several media companies including Belo, Gannett Co., The McClatchy Company, Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company.

The slowing economy has taken a serious toll on the auto industry. A few weeks ago, Edmunds.com reported that October auto sales would be down 30% from the previous year. According to the firm, auto sales are projected to be around 13.6 million for the year, down 15% from 2007.

However, slumping car sales mean that people need information resources like Cars.com more than ever, Crafts says. "There's still lots of people buying cars," she says. "When they do go into the dealership, they need to be confident, and that's what Cars.com is all about."

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