Survey Finds Mobile Web Growing As Car Buying Resource

DEARBORN (WWJ) -- A new survey commissioned by FordDirect, the online marketing arm of Ford Motor Co. and its dealers, finds consumers more likely than ever to look for car deals online -- including a rising trend toward the mobile Web.

Key findings from the study include:

Millennials love digital: Millennials search local dealer promotions in digital and social media ads more than Generation X consumers and Baby Boomers.
Consumers are going mobile: More than 40 percent of the respondents have conducted research on a dealership through their mobile devices. Among those respondents, 54 percent of them looked for deals or promotions.
Mobile advertising is effective: 46 percent of respondents are likely to click a dealer's mobile ad when browsing through their mobile devices.

"To successfully reach consumers, dealers must participate in the channels consumers prefer, and with the rapid growth of mobile adoption and use of social media in daily life, it's clear this is online," said FordDirect CEO Stacey Coopes. "The results of this study support the need to increase focus on digital and social media advertising because of its market potential."

The study, conducted in December, gathered responses from more than 1,100 vehicle owners to understand consumers' attitudes and reactions toward different types of automotive advertising, specifically digital, social and mobile.

FordDirect also the launch of its new Digital Advertising Solution (http://products.forddirectdealers.com/DigitalAdvertising), a digital and media platform combining search engine marketing and a variety of digital advertising, including display ads, to mobile, social, video and retargeting.

More about the survey at www.forddirect.com.