With Detroit’s auto industry on the rebound, General Motors named Carat as their exclusive global media buyer, a contract that will bring around 200 jobs to downtown Detroit.  To show our appreciation for GM’s continued partnership with Kontera, as well as to officially welcome Carat into the Motor City, we recently hosted a special breakfast at the agency’s new offices at One Detroit Center.

The delicious meal included a full omelet bar, oatmeal pancakes, oven roasted sausages, and a variety of muffins and refreshments. It was a great chance to connect with friends both old and new, and all the feedback we heard was amazingly positive.

Congratulations Carat – we look forward to working together in the future

It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it

Kontera UK couldn’t have been more excited to have hosted a ski holiday March 22nd-25th in Chamonix, in the gorgeous French Alps. Joining us were some of our valued partners from the ad agencies Profero, Starcom Global, and MEC; who represent a few of our top Automotive, Business, and Telecom accounts in Europe.

We all stayed in a luxury penthouse apartment in the town centre and had a lovely roof top terrace with hot tub (great for a post ski soak to ease our tired muscles). Meanwhile on the slopes, MEC Digital Trading Director Tim Pearce and Kontera’s own Laura Carveley were definitely the most competitive of the beginners. Tim in particular had never skied before, and left completely addicted, saying the experience changed his life!

Below is some great footage of Tim, Laura, and Ana Pak of Starcom Global tearing it up on the beginner’s slopes.

Our thanks to Ten80 Events for putting together this memorable trip!

Just like the Super Bowl winning New York Giants on the field, 2012 is shaping up to be a championship year for Kontera in the online media and technology space.

Kontera was proud to have been selected as one of the Israeli online media companies to participate in the 2012 Media-Tech Innovation Road Show in New York City. We were chosen based on our technological innovation and leadership in the online media space. As part of the Road Show, Kontera presented our roster of new, innovative products to senior Media and Entertainment executives. The Road Show was capped off with a cocktail reception featuring a keynote address by Don Sperling, Vice Present of the World Champion NY Giants.

The event was organized by the U.S. Israel Business Council (USI) and the Government of Israel Economic Mission to North America. It was set up to foster business relationships between American investors and senior industry executives and 15 of the highest profile Israeli startups.

Kontera’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, Laurie Barlev, briefed executives on Kontera’s Synapse Platform, our full suite of products, as well as our exciting new developments in Mobile and Social products. The response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic and provided us with an opportunity to exchange ideas with other leaders in online media.

Our thanks to the USI and the Government of Israel Economic Mission to North America for putting this great event together!

This was one party the Motor City was especially revved up for.

Kontera is proud to have sponsored the 7^th annual 313Digital Auto Show VIP Party, an exclusive event for over 150 Detroit digital advertising professionals held at South Bar in Birmingham. Aside from great music, fine food, and welcome company, the party was a fundraiser for such worthy 313 Digital’s Community Outreach programs as Project Click, Motor City Blight Busters, and Goodfellows of Detroit.

It was a memorable night out and Kontera couldn’t have been happier to be a part of it!

We were also on hand for the industry only preview of the Detroit Auto Show January 11-12. The North American International Auto Show as it’s officially known, is the largest American trade show of its kind, drawing about 750,000 people per year. It’s attended by nearly every major car brand and this year included either new product introductions or new concept introductions from such Kontera advertisers as Ford, Chevy, Volvo, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Honda, Lexus, Toyota, and Buick.

2011 was the best year for Automotive sales since 2008, and with the economical recovery finally reaching the driver’s seat, there was definitely an elevated level of excitement in the air. Manufactures were offering more variety, such as how the 2013 Ford Fusion has several different hybrid options, and luxury cars were more prominently featured.  Porsche, which had taken several years off from the show returned, and other luxury vehicles like the two door, Acura NSX were surprise hits.

Our stay at NAIAS was capped with the 2012 Charity Preview gala, a rich tradition which offers the first public look at the show and since 1976 has raised $84 million dollars for local children’s charities. It’s a black tie event that’s affectionately called “the auto prom”, and Kontera Strategic Accounts Managers Michael Gellar and Kristin Socha looked sharp in represented us. The entertainment was provided by the Selected of God Choir, who backed Eminem in his famous “Lose Yourself” Chrysler Super Bowl commercial, and the choir sounded just as powerful in person.

Definitely a great kick off for what’s shaping up to be another big year for Automotive!

The following is an article by Kontera’s Executive Vice President of Marketing, Ammiel Kamon that was originally published on the iMedia Connection blog.

The online shopping process isn’t just limited to your computer anymore.

Participating in the recent JD Power Automotive Internet Roundtable in Las Vegas, the biggest trends to emerge involved the potential of mobile and tablet, along with the importance of having a strong social media plan. There’s overwhelming data that speaks not only to the growth, but to the effectiveness of these emerging platforms for automotive marketers.

In the automotive vertical, mobile advertising has risen 239% in the last year and that appears to just be the tip of the iceberg.  Here are some quick facts I came across at the conference:

• Nielsen projects that by Christmas, one in two adults will have a smart phone.
• 50% of all new cars are expected to be purchased by either iPhone or Android owners.
• According to a JD Power study presented at the conference, almost ½ of in-market shoppers use their smart phones at some point during the process of choosing a car.
• 75% of in-market car shoppers engaged with social media on their phone.

With more and more affluent, in-market shoppers utilizing mobile devices during their decision making process, there’s no question that the automotive industry need to follow, a fact just as true regarding tablets.

However, it’s important to approach tablets with a unique strategy from smartphones, as shoppers use them for different purposes. For instance, Cars.com found their mobile site utilized for inventory search and car value lookups, while more new car related activity occurs on tablets. The key difference being with larger screens and better battery time, tablets lend themselves more to in depth research.

When properly optimized, tablets are a powerful way to reach interested consumers. Eric Miltsch of Auction Direct USA, reported how visitors accessing their used car website through a tablet are already converting 25-30% better than visitors from any other platform.

Even more than mobile and tablets, perhaps the hottest topic of conversation at the conference was about social media and how to harness it. Here are some fascinating statistics relating to social media:

• During 2011, 4 out of 5 new vehicle buyers are using the Internet in their buying process; looking at on average 3.7 models online.
• According to an Autoguide.com study, when purchase intent is expressed through social media 45% of the time it’s on forums, 21% on social networks, and 14% of the time on blogs.
• 2.4 million in-market shoppers used Facebook in some way to make a vehicle purchase decision.
• 58% of consumers are likely to mention their new car and/or buying experience via social media.
• 82% of mentions about car purchases on social media are positive.

As evident in these numbers, a tremendous amount of the consideration process occurs online and on social media channels like forums and social networks specifically. According to Robert Brown, the head of online marketing at Nissan, the majority of decisions made on social media platforms concern dealer reputation and vehicle reviews. This occurs on social media, as opposed to company websites because third party advocates carry more authority with prospective buyers.

These third party advocates represent a great untapped resource.  Scott Kelly, who manages the Ford brand online, wisely observed that the Automotive industry abandons the customer right at the height of their emotional excitement –right after the purchase. By extending the period of engagement, the number of positive testimonials will substantially increase, thus influencing the next cycle of in-market shoppers.

Additionally, the sphere of influence is very top heavy; by reaching out specifically to the hyper influencers that are the most active in forums, you can also significantly raise your social media profile.

In all, the general message at the roundtable was the status quo is not enough. The convergence of mobile, tablets, and social media are significantly changing the experience of shopping for a new car. In order to reach a qualified in-market audience, the way Automotive is marketed needs to evolve as well.

I, and the Kontera team were honored to be invited to the event, and pleased to share our viewpoints on the relevance and benefits of tight Editorial Alignment within the mobile, tablet and social domains. We highly recommend next year’s JD Powers Automotive Digital Marketing Roundtable to any marketers, publishers and technology vendors who are interested in the future on-line direction of the automotive media landscape.