Six weeks ago the famous groundhog – Punxsutawney Phil – saw his shadow, effectively predicting the horrifying weather patterns that have stymied the Midwest, East coast and even the South over the past month-and-a-half. As spot on as Phil was this year, the burrowing animal isn’t always on target — studies conducted by the National Climatic Data Center has set the groundhog’s overall predictions accuracy rate to be around 39%, not surprising given the lack of sophisticated research and statistical analysis that the little guy delivers.

There are plenty like Phil in the automotive world, who base their predictions on the direction of the wind, the phases of the moon, or even on the appearance of their shadow on an early February morning. But of course most of the prognosticators in the business utilize more scientific means to give insiders a glimpse of future car sales trends and news-making occurrences, and Jumpstart Automotive Group is no different. Through our collection of over 12 million monthly shoppers across automotive shopping sites including Vehix, Consumer Guide Automotive, and Car and Driver, to name a few (see the rest of our publishers here), we have thoroughly examined the actions and behaviors of car shoppers over the past 18 months to deliver some compelling insights on how people are responding to the madness that has overcome the industry and the economy during this time, and how dramatically behaviors and opinions have been altered as a result.

Here are some of the intriguing trends that Jumpstart has observed over the past 18 months, and some predictions to accompany the data:

1. More Consumers are Ready to Buy — Some signs of recovery are here, thanks to a late-2009 surge in vehicle sales, greatly spurred by the Cash-for-Clunkers program. In the early part of 2010, more shoppers are closer to the point of purchase than in the past 18 months. The number of shoppers making a purchase decision within three months increased by 126% in 2010 vs. 2008. Less than 30% of shoppers were prepared to buy within three months for those surveyed back in late ‘08, but in 2010 that number has increased to nearly 67%. A little more consumer urgency, however, may not necessarily translate to more sales.

PREDICTION: The SAAR forecasts throughout the industry for 2010 will end up being overstated.

The rebound in car sales may not be happening at the rates some prognosticators are calling for this year. While there are more consumers closer to the bottom of the funnel, other factors will inhibit market growth. Key economic indicators are hardly returning to normal — unemployment is up as are foreclosures in the early parts of 2010. The recall fiasco taking place with Toyota and more mildly with other brands will likely curb or delay some buyers who may be more timid about purchasing a car that might not live up to safety standards. Jumpstart estimates the SAAR to deliver at around 10.5-10.8 million vehicles in 2010, while many outlets are predicting 11 million-plus.

2. More Consumers are Ready, but Undecided — The door is wide open for OEMs to market to shoppers on in-market properties for the right message, offer, or better yet a memorable creative execution. Only 14% of car shoppers know specifically which make and model of vehicle they want. Less than 50% even have an idea about what body style they want.

The use of manufacturer websites by consumers is also on the rise. According to a Jumpstart survey, 70-80% of visitors to third-party shopping sites are also using manufacturer sites during their research process. This alludes to a couple of important points — 1. OEM advertising on third-party sites is highly effective at delivering a marketing message to the most qualified intenders, and 2. Manufacturers are investing money and resources into delivering quality destination sites. OEMs have dramatically improved the usability, aesthetics and utilities on their websites, leading to growth in consumer use of these properties.

PREDICTION: The consumer will capture even more control of the car-buying process … Third-party resources will play a greater role, as people will spend more time and utilize as many outlets as possible before making a purchase decision.

With more and more data and information available to consumers (have you seen TrueCar.com yet?), the shopping process will continue to start 6-12 months prior to purchase and typically three or more resources will be utilized throughout the funnel. In the current economy consumers will seek out the most affordable price (obtaining price information was cited by shoppers as the No. 1 reason for visiting a third-party website), and focus on the vehicle options suitable to their needs. Arming themselves with the most important information, while being open to compelling marketing messages, consumers will trust third-party opinion from professional resources and then venture off to OEM sites to fine tune the details. Whether dealers like it or not, the consumer is in full control.

3. Crossing Over — The rise in popularity of the crossover vehicle has been unprecedented. We’ve watched the share of crossover sales increase by 20% for 2009 vs. 2008 to represent about 22% share of market. The future looks even rosier for this segment, as shoppers are more interested in crossovers now than any other vehicle — 32% of those surveyed were in market for a crossover, compared to 13% roughly 18 months ago — nearly a 150% jump in interest, ahead of the usually popular SUV, sedan and compact segments for the first time ever. Shopping patterns indicate more of the same, as the crossover segment experienced a compound growth in share of shopping on Jumpstart’s properties of 39% vs. last year. During the same period, only the luxury (+25%) segment grew noticeably in share.

PREDICTION: The crossover segment will continue to grow and represent over 25% share of market (vehicle sales) by the end of 2010.

Crossovers are in about 1-in-3 Jumpstart visitors’ consideration set. There are tons of options in this segment and the reasons are simple — it delivers the utility and cargo space of an SUV, with the safety, fuel economy and subtlety of a sedan.

4. Compact Contracting — With auto companies feverishly bringing more advanced small cars to market for a variety of reasons — looming CAFé standards easily a glaring one — the demand isn’t necessarily prevalent among U.S. consumers. When gas prices rose above $4 per gallon in mid-2008, the compact segment suddenly became a shining star among shoppers, representing a 2-year high of nearly 18% of shopping share in July of 2008. Since then, fuel prices have come back to normal, as has shopping share for compacts, maintaining at less than 10% consistently. When we asked consumers about their interest in compact vehicles in Jan. 2010, only 11% indicated a desire to purchase a compact, compared to over 25% in July 2008 — a 130% plunge. In terms of share of sales, compact has slowly inched forward, nearing 20% in market share.

PREDICTION: With fuel prices remaining stable, compact share of market (vehicle sales) will stay below 20% in 2010.

The Compact/small car segment is all the rage for OEMs — Fiesta, M2, Mini, Smart, Spark, etc. — but not so much for consumers, and the segment may end up carrying more bark than bite. OEMs are looking to “balance the portfolio” and include smaller vehicles in their lineup to meet government fuel standards. There’s always been an audience for these vehicles — and the audience may be larger now than in the past — but small cars are not as profitable as larger vehicles and thus will not be the manufacturers’ bread and butter in the long run.

5. High Aspirations — Despite the fact that only 7-8% of vehicles sold are luxury vehicles, BMW, Audi and Acura make up the top brands that people are considering among over 1,000 shoppers surveyed, and in all over 50% of considered purchases leaned toward luxury makes. Additionally, the luxury segment has grown in share of Jumpstart shopping by 11% in the past 18 months, capturing share from segments like sedan (-31%) and compact (-29%) during the same period.

PREDICTION: After historically trailing Cadillac and Acura in vehicle sales, Audi will surpass both and take a commanding position among the top four luxury brands, alongside BMW, Mercedes and Lexus.

While BMW continues to command the greatest attention in the luxury segment, Audi is storming onto the scene with some great product and smarter marketing. Lexus will need time to recover from its Toyota association. The mid-luxury segment — Volvo, Buick, Saab, Lincoln — is going to have to work extra hard to get consumers to pony up more money for a “luxury” vehicle that isn’t a Lexus, Mercedes, Audi or BMW. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t live up to the same quality standards … but in the end luxury segment success is primarily about brand perception.

6. Fuel Inefficiency – Although there is ongoing buzz around fuel economy, low emissions and new technologies, a recent Jumpstart poll showed that only 8% of shoppers were considering various forms of hybrid technologies, while 11% are considering diesel models. Additionally, 75% are still going with gas-powered internal combustion engines — of the standard or turbo version. In terms of shopping patterns, hybrid/fuel efficiency’s share has fallen by 47% since July 2008, when gas prices were at some of their highest levels. It’s clear that interest in hybrid and other fuel technologies rises and falls with fuel prices.

PREDICTION: Marketers will shift from fuel efficiency messages and focus on safety, in response to all of the recall fears.

Safety messaging should begin to heavily infiltrate automotive advertising for the better part of 2010. We’ve watched OEMs drive home the fuel message over and over again, and obviously incentives are readily promoted, but the safety mantra will now get a seat at the head table.

7. Toyota Troubled — Toyota’s predicament has caused 51% of Jumpstart shoppers who would have normally considered a Toyota to remove the brand from their consideration set, per a February survey. Toyota shopping has slowly diminished on Jumpstart’s properties as well. Additionally, only 5.3% of recently surveyed shoppers indicated that Toyota is on their list of vehicles to purchase, behind five other brands including Ford and Chevy.

PREDICTION: It will take Toyota 2-3 years to recover from its current state of turmoil.

The Toyota hiccup is obviously going to have a lasting effect on the brand — at this point the brand is damaged goods, and they have a herculean effort ahead of them if they intend to regain the confidence of the American consumer. How they handle this situation will make all the difference … they need to treat it delicately and with compassion for the consumer, because there are now names and faces of deceased individuals being revealed as a result of these recall issues, typically a death knell for major companies. The ones who benefit from Toyota’s issues will obviously be Ford, Honda and Chevy — our shopper polls say Chevy is the leader in replacing Toyota intenders, but that remains to be seen.

8. Ford Forging Ahead — For shoppers who have eliminated Toyota from their consideration set, 17% claim they will likely replace Toyota with a Ford vehicle, the second highest behind Chevy (48%). In a January survey, Ford was also the top non-luxury brand to be named by Jumpstart shoppers as their next considered purchase. Ford also moved to No. 1 in share of Jumpstart shoppers at 10.8% in 2009 for the first time, historically trailing Chevy.

PREDICTION: Ford will grow its market share (vehicle sales) from below 12% to over 13%, and Fusion will move into the top 5 in cars sold in 2010 (typically between No. 6-10).

Ford will continue to roll, especially given Toyota’s transgressions, and will likely capitalize the most. Ford’s positive trajectory has not only been reflected in sales growth (Ford’s sales rose 43% in Feb.), but Fusion, Fiesta, and Focus have the makings of segment leaders, with eye-catching styling, fuel efficiency and advanced technology.

Predictions aside, there’s no denying the rampantly changing patterns that the industry has endured over the past two years. Through it all – a fuel price roller-coaster, followed by a recession which included the virtual elimination of credit, the plummeting of the housing market, millions of jobs lost, along with a recall disaster for the world’s largest automaker — these crises have shaped the auto market into what it is today: an truly unpredictable landscape that’s dramatically altering which cars people are shopping for and how they make their decisions on one of their largest purchases.

The amount of exposure consumers have had to these rising concerns, new policies, standards and incentives to become more environmentally friendly has grown substantially. What isn’t clearly evident, however, is whether these issues are actually top of mind for consumers who are in-market to purchase a vehicle.

In 2008 eMarketer released a study titled “Green Online: Growing Awareness” in which a Doubleclick survey showed that 60% of US Adult Online Buyers felt that a company being environmentally conscious was either extremely or very important (see Table 1.1). Additionally, Nielsen BuzzMetrics reported during the same time that conversations about the need for more alternative fuels was the #1 topic of gas and driving conversations across US social networking sites (Table 1.2). Interesting to note was that this data was from April-May, 2008, just one month prior to the surging gas prices in the summer of 2008.

Table 1.1 The Importance of Companies Being Environmentally Conscious, eMarketer “Green Online: Growing Awareness,” June, 2008

Table 1.2 Top Five Topics of Gas and Driving Conversations on US Social Networking Sites, Nielsen Online, “BuzzMetrics” as cited in press release, June 25, 2008

How is this Translating with In-market Shoppers?

Over the past seven months we’ve been watching how consumers are shopping for alternative fuels and technologies and whether they’re ready to trade in their larger fuel sippers or guzzlers for a vehicle with improved emissions and greater fuel economy. In Table 2.1 below, we look at consumer interest in all alternative fuels compared to general automotive shopping. We also break it down further and analyze the hybrid and diesel categories alone.

What we found was that diesels were heavily searched in January and February when German manufacturers such as Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes were promoting their clean diesel TDI or BlueTec models at the national auto shows. Since those early months of heavy press, the category has dropped off compared to the general alternative fuel or hybrid categories.

In looking at the graph below, it also appears that the alternative fuel/technology category trends have fallen closer in line with the national average gas prices. When gas prices fell below the $2.00 mark, all vehicles within the category dropped off, however shopping picked back up with the slow and steady increase in gas prices. The alternative fuels category has indexed higher than general automotive shopping and specific alternative fuel/technology categories since May, 2009. It seems this traffic is still largely being driven by consumers’ wallets rather than environmental concerns, similar to what we saw during the gas crisis in the summer of 2008.

Table 2.1 Shopping Demand Index compared to National Average Gas Prices

In a recent poll that ran across all Jumpstart sites during the first three weeks of August, we asked consumers which alternative fuel or technology they would consider for their next vehicle purchase. Because green vehicles comprise largely of hybrids or clean diesels, results were limited to these two categories or ‘other alternative fuels/technologies’ that could comprise of electric/plug-in, E-85, and others. Forty-one percent of respondents said that a hybrid was in consideration for their next vehicle purchase, while diesel was close behind at 34%. The interest and consideration is in the mind of the consumers, but the actual shopping behaviors for these specific categories have leveled off as we saw in Table 2.1.

Table 2.2 Jumpstart Automotive Group Audience Poll Responses, August 2009

Bridging the Gap between Consideration and Action

There exists a great opportunity for manufacturers to both shape and respond to consumer interest for more fuel efficient and environmentally responsible vehicles. Whether the prospective buyer is motivated by gas savings, reduced emissions or other factors, there is an increasing awareness of the benefits of alternative fuels and technologies.

Realizing that other factors are impacting the significance of this topic in the automotive world will only allow marketers to respond through messaging that informs, educates and resonates with a broader audience. The more comfortable consumers become with the various alternatives, the faster these greener technologies will move from consideration to an actual purchase. This won’t be achieved without a deeper level of education starting with corporate messaging and working its way to the retail experience.

The threat of higher gas prices is no longer a possibility but a reality in the future. The more consumers understand the benefits of green vehicles through OEM education, the better suited they will be to take advantage of all of the innovations that are happening today for the future.

On August 11th, AdAge featured some of our recent data showcasing some nuances that many in the industry seem to be missing when it comes to the much hyped program. Notably, we found that our 12 million plus in-market car shopping audience was shopping for fuel-hungry trucks more than ever the week the incentive program was announced. This raises a big question mark for marketers and policy-makers on whether consumers “get” the program’s goals.

While we can’t ignore that the short-term results of Cash for Clunkers have been encouraging, marketers must carefully study the facts and the long-term impact of the program without simply getting lost in a sea of short-term results. Yes, July was the best sales month of the year with 998,062 new vehicle sales reported. This was up 16% from June and is the smallest year over year decline in 2009. Yes, cars took a larger share of the market and the top ten models purchased were fuel-efficient vehicles. Ford Escape is the only CUV/SUV/Truck of the top ten models purchased. Yes, all of the top ten trade-ins are models classified as trucks.

Yoshimi Inabe, Toyota’s new North American President said “I can feel the pulse for market recovery is strong.” I’m sorry, but, I’m not so sure. $3,000,000,000 should support the sale of approximately 600,000 new vehicles. If 50% of these are incremental, we could break the 10 million sales thresh-hold this year. If they are not incremental but are pull-ahead sales by consumers taking advantage of extraordinary incentive levels, this will prove to be highly damaging to the industry. My fear is that we have simply increased the level of our incentive addiction. This is not healthy for the industry. It is not healthy for future used car values. It is not healthy for dealers who are becoming more and more dependent on selling the size of the discount rather than selling their brands, products, or level of service. What is the message and selling proposition after $9,000 discounts are gone?

I believe that the underlying drivers of retail auto demand continue to be unemployment, housing stability, and consumer confidence. The unemployment news is mixed but the consensus is that the official rate will grow beyond 10%. Housing seems to be stabilizing but at much lower valuations. The Consumer Confidence Index retreated again in July, declining to 45.3. This is the environment we are living in. It’s difficult to see more than 10 million sales until these indicators are moving in a positive, sustainable direction.

The reality of Cash for Clunkers is that it generated great short-term results. Now that it’s over, we’re likely to wake up with a big hangover. Unfortunately, this is often the case as short-term actions frequently have unintended long-term consequences. For a real turnaround, for a sustainable change in the industry, we need to see more imaginative thinking that goes beyond short-term incentives.

Consumers are clearly ready for some good news. The American love affair with cars is far from over. Let’s be smart, look beyond next month’s sales results, and do the things necessary to re-build this industry.

Opportunity exists for automotive marketers looking to leverage Twitter. At the very least, you can’t ignore its existence and you definitely can’t ignore what people are saying about your brand. So how should the automotive community embrace this new social phenomenon?

The most difficult thing for marketers to overcome is the idea that Twitter is primarily a source for broadcasting your message. It’s not. Not entirely at least. Twitter is a massive conversational and social equalizer. It makes it possible for the average person to feel part of a conversation with untouchable celebrities, organizations, and companies. It brings character and access to your brand. Most of all, Twitter provides an environment for your brand to listen.

Take Ford for example: The majority of Ford’s official activity on Twitter serves as a way to communicate directly to the owners, influencers, and consumers that are speaking out about Ford products. The marketing communications team at Ford appears to be attempting to respond to the majority of comments that are focused directly at the manufacturer. In this manner, Twitter can help with customer service issues, serve as a conduit for your greatest supporters to speak out, and provide transparency and honesty that potential consumers admire.

One of the most dangerous things a brand can do is register their Twitter username without monitoring activity. Twitter provides satisfied and disgruntled customers alike a means of communication directly with brands without the intermediary of a customer service rep. Think about the consequences of ignoring a dissatisfied customer who is extremely active in social media.

GM has taken a different approach with Twitter. They rarely respond directly to users but have instead created multiple profiles with the goal of being able to deliver exactly the content you are interested in. At the time of this writing, GM was Tweeting under the names GMblogs (GM PR), GMreinvention (information about the restructuring), CadillacBlogs (Cadillac PR), GMNewsUS (automated news feed), plus countless others. By only using Twitter as a means for spreading news and PR, GM is missing the point behind social media — it’s about conversations.

Other manufacturers have given further personality to their brand by assigning brand representatives to their official profiles. Toyota, for example, posts pictures of each of the staffers responding to customers on their profile page and then designates the author of each tweet with a signature. Honda has taken this a step further by including the corporate communications supervisor’s name in the Twitter profile: Alicia_at_Honda. The benefit of this tactic is that the brand can be free to tweet more openly and often because it is clear that the interaction is merely with a member of the brand — not the official brand itself. The danger is two-fold — one; the personality of the individual is at risk of overshadowing the brand and commanding the conversation and, two; the feeling of an intermediary between the user and the brand threatens the idea of access and connection that Twitter promises.

The need to develop a strong social media strategy is clear. Twitter can be a valuable part of that strategy. But there is a delicate balance between honesty and PR, customer service or feeble marketing attempts. To fully unlock the potential of Twitter and other social media platforms marketers must prove they are listening by engaging in constructive two-way conversations.

Jumpstart announced findings from an 18-month-long study of American car shoppers showing that despite decreased sales and shaky economic conditions, consumers have remained consistently interested in online shopping for vehicles. Consumers were found to continue their online research for cars at consistent levels, though planning vehicle purchases further in the future than in recent years. The data shows that the new consumer pattern of vehicle “window shopping” has lengthened the vehicle shopping process considerably.

Data from the Jumpstart network of in-market car shoppers across its 10 sites, including Vehix.com, Consumer Guide Automotive, JD Power Autos, Shopping.com, CarandDriver.com, and RoadandTrack.com, and others, showed that despite slowing buying patterns, consumers continued to actively shop in the face of plummeting consumer confidence.

By comparing online shopping demand with vehicle sales, the Jumpstart team created a “buyer intent index,” showing the impact when online shopping rates differ from vehicle sales, with a higher index reflecting consistency between online shopping and vehicle sales. The index reveals that January and February of 2009 marked the lowest buyer intent level over the 18-month period.

* Buyer Intent Index = Correlation between shopper demand and vehicle sales

• At or above the average indicates shopping demand and sales were on a similar trajectory
• Below the average indicates shopping demand was greater than resulting sales during the given month

The index showed that with the second quarter of 2009, shopper demand and sales began to coincide again, starting with the month of April corresponding with the incentive programs heavily promoted by Ford, GM, and Hyundai. The remainder of the spring has shown less consistency with the trend lines, with vehicle sales dropping again in June while shopping continued to grow. June growth in demand could be driven by the government-sanctioned Cash-for-Clunkers program, which has generated a lot of buzz over the past few weeks. In fact, in a recent poll of 165 Jumpstart visitors, 38% of them indicated that the program would make them more likely to purchase a vehicle within the next six months.

Jumpstart also gathered qualitative data on the increased window shopping trend from consumers visiting Jumpstart’s websites over the past year. In June of 2008, 49% of surveyed shoppers said they were ready to purchase a vehicle in six months or less (12% within a month). A year later in June of 2009, that number fell to 40%, with 28% of shoppers indicating they plan to be prepared to make a purchase within 7-12 months.

“The key takeaway from this highly unique pattern of vehicle ‘window shopping’ is simple: consumers are still very interested in cars, and actively researching future purchases, even if they are not imminent,” said Joe Kyriakoza, VP, Strategic Insights at Jumpstart Automotive Group, “Marketers need to respond to this longer-term sales cycle with appropriate messaging to engage with this new consumer trend.”

About Jumpstart Automotive Group
The Jumpstart Automotive Group brings together the most diverse audience of in-market automotive shoppers with the industry’s most influential auto enthusiast brands to dramatically improve the effectiveness and efficiency of automotive marketing across digital, print, and mobile platforms. Fueled by a passion for performance, the Jumpstart Automotive Group is committed to the development of quality content and services for consumers and to maximizing publisher revenue and advertiser results through innovative products and services. The portfolio of publishing partners include Vehix, Consumer Guide Automotive, JD Power Autos, Shopping.com, Car and Driver, Road & Track, CarSoup.com, U.S.News.com, HybridCars, and CarGurus. Additionally, Jumpstart has been on the forefront of behavioral targeting and is now developing leading research and strategic insight products.

The 2009 Catalyst Awards (brought to you by Jumpstart Automotive Group) will celebrate the remarkable work done this year for auto brands through interactive advertising. This year’s Award winners will be selected from the best and brightest minds creating interactive media for the automotive industry. As the only awards show of its kind, the Catalyst Awards are open to any organization (including Agencies, OEMs, and Dealer Groups and Associations) attending the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable. Awards will be presented in six categories, including Rich Media, Social Media, New/Emerging Media, Standard Messaging Media, Cross Platform, and the Best Creative the Client Didn’t Buy. Each of the top 3 entries, as judged by our panel, in the 6 categories are eligible for the “Best in Show” award. Voting for this top honor will be open to the public via the Catalyst website two weeks prior to the event date.

All entries will be reviewed by a panel representing some of the most creative and experienced experts in automotive marketing and interactive advertising, including Scott Bremner, Creative Director, Siltanen and Partners; Jim Elliot, Creative Director, Goodby; Jean Halliday, Detroit Bureau Chief, AdvertisingAge; Eve Maidenberg, VP Marketing, Jumpstart; Olivier Rabenschlag, Creative Director, TBWA and Chip Reingold, Chief Creative Officer, Blast Radius. Read more about our accomplished judging panel here.

Entries for outstanding work will be welcomed through July 15, 2009 and must meet the Eligibility requirements including that the work had appeared on the web at some point between October 2008 and July 2009. More details on the requirements can be found here.

The 2009 Catalyst Awards Show will be the Opening Reception of the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable on October 14th in Las Vegas; where all winners will be announced. Any questions or comments regarding the competition should be sent to: comments@catalystaward.com.

“The whole premise around the MINI campaign (last year) revolved around three words: Zig, Zag and Zug,” said Sankar Patel, Associate Media Director at BSSP (Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners). “Zig represented the Cooper Hardtop, Zag, the convertible and Zug the brand new Clubman. The campaign was designed to remind people that these were all cars with their own personalities but still all part of the family.”

“We didn’t know what to expect, but we were thrilled when we won,” he said.

The Catalyst Awards, brought to you by Jumpstart Automotive Group, celebrates automotive interactive media. Each year, automotive marketers devote more and more of their advertising budgets to interactive media, and some of the brightest creative minds are meeting this challenge by producing innovative, effective advertising specifically for the automotive marketing industry.

The CIAA is the first and only award to recognize and honor the very best of these efforts, as well as to encourage further growth and innovation.

It was this spirit of innovation that led BSSP to create the winning campaign. In addition to featuring the three car models, the campaign sought to highlight some of the vehicles’ features.

“The barn doors are a key feature in the Clubman, so we created a TV spot called Pinball,” Patel said. “In it the back doors of the Clubman were used as flippers in a giant pinball machine. We took that visual and ran with it online, creating an in-banner casual game as well as a version that could be played on the Nintendo Wii.”

So what does BSSP have up its sleeve for MINI this year? Since the Zig Zag Zug campaign the company has gone green with the CarFunFootprint campaign, which showcases the ways in which a MINI can help reduce a driver’s environmental impact. A main component of the campaign is the Carfun Offset program, in which MINI promises to match drivers’ donations to one of three projects that support sustainability and renewable energy.

Patel encourages everyone to check out the Carfun Footprint calculator. “This is a tool we created to let people calculate not only their environmental impact based on the car they drive, but also the fun factor of the car they drive. All the data is real, the environmental impact info comes from the EPA and the fun score comes from Strategic Vision’s new vehicle experience study. We incorporated the calculator into ads and ran a full campaign for this at the tail end of last year.”

BSSP plans to enter the CarFunFootprint campaign into this year’s Catalyst Awards, which will take place at the Opening Reception of the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable, October 14th, 2009, at the Red Rock Resort and Spa in Las Vegas.

“(Winning last year) definitely made the team proud. It felt like we really accomplished something in a challenging marketplace and it gave us further validation for the work that was put into it. So many car brands are doing amazing things out there, and to be recognized was a real reason for celebration,” Patel said. “We’re definitely planning on entering the Carfun campaign into this year’s competition and we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

Click here to view the winning campaign.

The Roundtable kicks off with the release of data from the J.D. Power-Compete Auto Buyer Clickstream Behavior Platform, presented by Gene Cameron, Scott Kane and Arianne Walker. This will be the first public presentation of the total online behavior of in-market shoppers leading to purchase and current online behavior of prospects. This uniquely insightful research, along with industry updates and forecasts, will set the foundation for the ongoing Roundtable discussions. This is followed by a lively discussion on how dealers, OEMs, and service providers can work together to empower customers and facilitate more online transactions.

This first day of the Roundtable ends with a networking reception, during which Jumpstart Automotive Group will present the “Catalyst Interactive Advertising Awards.” The Catalyst Awards honor excellence in online advertising, design and creativity in the automotive industry.

The Roundtable continues on day two with a not-to-be missed keynote address by Jim Farley, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Ford. This is followed by an agenda packed with leading-edge topics presented at both general sessions and breakouts. Just a sample of what’s being covered includes social networking, search, brand advertising, media integration, rich media, mobile marketing, cross-tier ad spending efficiency, lead handling and dealer fulfillment and site analytics. These phrases don’t do justice to the depth of knowledge represented by the panelists and the opportunity for interaction with attendees.

The Roundtable closes out on day three with discussions focused on new approaches to reaching the customer. The panelists will highlight what consumers are demanding online and discuss how OEMs, dealers and aftermarket service providers can tap into this audience.

Whether you desire valuable information, the opportunity to meet and network with the leaders of automotive Internet marketing, or interaction with key industry peers, this is a Roundtable you won’t want to miss!

For more information and to register please visit: http://www.jdpower.com/roundtable

Throughout my career I have worked with some brilliant creative directors, writers and art directors. It may come as a surprise that the most successful of the lot weren’t the ones who could draw a perfect portrait. Instead, they were the ones who could look at a problem from all angles, clearly articulate the business problem they were trying to solve, and fundamentally understand the client’s objective and target audience. They first studied all of these facets, and then, put the business issues aside and came up with fun, cool ideas that resonated.

In my current role, some of the most interesting things I see don’t come from my creative team. Now, don’t get me wrong — they are doing incredible work, but I see creativity coming from all our business units. Take our sales group: who have done some innovative thinking about how we approach our clients. In our product group, the team successfully wrestles with the big question of what the web’s next iteration will be. In our tech team, the job is not just about fixing computers, but rather how to get things more efficient and more seamless. There is creativity all around us. Inspired by these various applications of creativity, I have guided my creative team to expand our power by pulling in people from every level, exec to intern, and every discipline from marketing to IT.

The idea for the Catalyst Awards came out of one of these discussions last year. As we sought to improve the initial program we got together a broader group of people to brainstorm. We hope that the changes we have made for this year will prove to make the awards even better. If I told you everything here I’d ruin the surprise. So you’ll just have to trust me, it’s going to be fun and there will be enough creativity to go ’round.

I encourage you to remember that there is value to every idea and that you are likely to find some of the most interesting ones in places you never expected. I look forward to showcasing the winners, and their creativity, in Las Vegas at the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable.