Automotive Web Advertising Impressions Accelerate 30 Percent From August to October, According to Nielsen//NetRatings

Business Wire, Dec 4, 2001

Business Editors/Internet & Automotive Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 2001

Online Spending for Automotive Industry Jumped 20 Percent to More

than $2.3 Million Dollars

Nielsen//NetRatings, the world's fastest growing Internet audience measurement service, today revealed that automotive Web advertising jumped 30 percent from August to October according to its AdSpectrum service. During the late fall, various automotive companies leveraged the Web to showcase zero-percent financing, highlight year-end sales and introduce year 2002 models.

Automotive Web advertising grew 30 percent from August to October to more than 132 million impressions. By comparison, automotive advertising impressions jumped 18 percent in October, compared to 112 million impressions in September (see Table 1).

"Car manufacturers have been one of the most persistent and creative advertisers this past year. The automotive sector uses the Web for indirect marketing and branding, to create brand awareness among consumers in order to influence offline purchasing decisions," said Allen Weiner, vice president of analytical services at NetRatings.

      Table 1. Growth in Automotive Web Advertising Impressions, October
2001 (U.S., Home)

       8/01            9/01           10/01       Percent      Percent
Impressions     Impressions     Impressions        Change       Change
       (000)           (000)           (000)   9/01-10/01   8/01-10/01

    101,317         111,978         132,153            18           30

      Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdSpectrum, October 2001
      Note: Impressions include house ads, which are ads featured on an
advertiser's own Web site.

Toyota Motor led the way with nearly 26 million impressions in October, reaching nearly 6.4 million surfers (see Table 2). Nissan Motor followed with more than 21 million impressions and attracted the largest audience of nearly 6.5 million unique viewers. General Motors issued nearly 20 million advertising impressions and drew more than 4.2 million surfers while Ford Motor had more than 13.5 million ad impressions which were seen by 3.9 million viewers. Rounding out the top five list, Mazda Motors distributed more than 9 million impressions which attracted more than 2.7 million surfers.

      Table 2. Top Automotive Advertisers, Ranked by Impressions,
October 2001 (U.S., Home)

Advertiser                         Advertising        Unique Audience
                              Impressions (000)      (000) Who Viewed
                                                        Advertisement

1.  Toyota Motor Corp.                  25,954                  6,365
2.  Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.               21,070                  6,454
3.  General Motors Corp.                19,906                  4,191
4.  Ford Motor Co.                      13,452                  3,919
5.  Mazda Motors of America              9,277                  2,748
6.  Daimler Chrysler AG                  6,004                  1,286
7.  Volkswagen AG                        5,350                  2,657
8.  Porsche Enterprises Inc.             3,069                  1,546
9.  Honda Motor Co.                      1,729                    739
10. Hyundai Group                        1,345                    518

      Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdSpectrum, October 2001
      Note: Impressions include house ads, which are ads placed on an
advertiser's own Web site.
      Note: Unique Audience is the number of unique people who were
served an advertiser's banner at least once during the month.

Overall online advertising spending for the automotive category jumped 20 percent to $2 million from August to September and continued to rise through October. Spending for the category grew another 12 percent from September to October, exceeding $2.3 million.

"Automotive manufacturers rallied in September and October to launch integrated advertising campaigns across different media, including television, print, radio and the Internet," said Weiner. "Incorporating the Web into their overall advertising strategy has allowed automotive manufacturers to deliver a single marketing message across all media."

Nielsen//NetRatings' AdSpectrum

The Nielsen//NetRatings AdSpectrum service helps advertisers and ad agencies better plan, track and evaluate online advertising. The service includes reports on advertising expenditures, detailed demographic breakdowns, advertising by category, and a deep breadth of creative capture.

Key features in the Nielsen//NetRatings AdSpectrum service include:

-- Demographic information based on ad exposure for more accurate audience
targeting

-- Ad spending estimates based on actual prices paid, not rate card information


-- Advertising by category, e.g., finance, automotive, etc.

-- Capture of over 220 banner sizes, not just the standard IAB/CASIE sizes

-- Click rates by demographics, top advertisers, top advertising domains, new
creatives

-- Analytical reports based on ad data and analyst inquiry time

AdSpectrum offers the capability to compare Internet advertising data to Nielsen Media Research's Monitor Plus ad data across multiple traditional media, including print, radio and broadcast. Advertisers, especially traditional brick and mortar companies, can leverage this integrated, consistent approach for strategic ad planning across all media.