The convergence of ‘local-local’ and ‘national-local‘ was in full swing on Day 1 of BIA/Kelsey’s Leading in Local: The National Impact conference yesterday in Atlanta.

AAA, Aflac, AutoTrader, Balihoo, Living Social, Fourquare, LocalVox, Two Men and a Truck, Yodle, YP were among the big names crowding the stage on Day 1. A number of key themes emerged. One is the amount of creativity being applied to the national-local challenge, which came through in the talk from Living Social’s Mitch Spolan. Another is the degree to which technology and automation are helping solve the inherent scale issues involved in national to local. This theme came through loud and clear in the “Local Imperative” Superforum and the Leading in Local Demos.

Here are some of the “aha” moments from yesterday’s sessions.

Before the Bell Insight Session: Local Search and the Keys to Discovery

This pre-conference session was probably the most SMB focused conversation of the event so far. The discussion honed in on the challenges and opportunities in local search. Some key moments:

Trevor Sumner, CEO, LocalVox talked about the confusion in the local search marketplace and how daunting it is for small-businesses. “What SMBs really want is a hug.” Meaning SMBs are overwhelmed with decisions to make about media. Make it simple for them. “Content creation is huge for national brands. Let’s bring that opportunity to local.”

Chuck Lee, VP Marketing, YP: Competition with small, local digital agencies is a big challenge for large media companies like YP. The only way to compete, in his view, is to “sacrifice margin for the lifetime value of the client.” Lee made the point the high customer acquisition costs will kill a company much faster than a high cost of customer service.

BIA/Kelsey Leadership: Why National Is Key to Local Success

BIA/Kelsey CEO Tom Buono and Managing Director Rick Ducey set the stage for the event with a thematic framework supported by data. National advertisers are increasing their spending in these local markets to target consumers in specific geographic areas. While they still spend on nationwide networks (e.g., NBC, ESPN), they are increasing their spending with local media companies such as local radio and television stations, and local online properties.

Overall BIA/Kelsey expects national advertisers to increase their spending in local markets from $50.2 billion in 2013 to 68.9 billion in 2018, growing at a 6.5 percent compounded annual growth rate.

AutoTrader founder Chip Perry joined Buono and Ducey for a conversation about the challenges of building a national-local business. A few of Chip’s insights:
— Price appropriately, find and serve the unmet needs, and make buying easier are key ingredients Perry offers for successfully disrupting an industry and scaling to success.
— Taking Autotrader.com from zero to $1.5 billion was supported by an innovative Cox Media but it also took entrepreneurial vision, willingness to be open to trying new things and commitment over time to reach goals, not short term profits.

Keynote: Rob Wilk, Foursquare

Rob Wilk runs sales at Foursquare, the check-in app, and is looking for ways to help helping national brands connect with local consumers. Last week Foursquare made the decision to move to a two-app approach, a decision that has drawn some flack for diluting its use case.

“Local is the intersection of interest and discovery,” Wilk said, explaining how its service now offers a core discovery engine, plus a separate app for social interaction (Swarm). Wilk defended this choice by saying consumer behavior strongly supports the idea of single use apps.

Mobile is Foursquare’s DNA. And as Wilk said, “Local is mobile.” This mirrors a theme BIA/Kelsey has been talking about with its clients, how advertisers are increasingly using multiple mobile channels to reach local customers, and mobile consumers are off the charts in terms of their proximity to purchase. Foursquare users are high engagement mobile users, and are 352 percent more likely to use their smartphone to find a location than the average consumer.

Keynote: Mitch Spolan, Living Social

Yahoo veteran Spolan has been at Living Social for three years, now with the job EVP Global Retain. His focus is on helping big brands use deals and Living Social’s marketing platform to reach new customer segments. Living Social is bringing a lot of creativity and innovation to helping national brands. Spolan gave a quick and energetic view of how Living Social is going well beyond deals to drive local engagement for national brands. A few highlights from Mitch’s talk:

— “Deals are very, very powerful for many brands,” but the deals themselves only represent part of the overall opportunity that brands have in working with deals companies and their millions of local customers.”

— LivingSocial positions itself as offering daily inspiration on things to do locally, travel adventures, and fabulous products, all while giving you fantastic deals and discounts.

— “The company is mostly focused on providing an “integrated experience” that tie brands to Living Social customers. For instance, Living Social provides local specific experiences as part of its brand promotion deal with Miller Coors’ Redd Apple Ale — and “Miller Coors is not selling its products on Living Social.”

The post At Leading in Local: The National Impact: Day 1 Highlights appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Longtime industry change agent Chip Perry wrote the playbook for how to use “internal disruption” as a positive force within a traditional media environment. Back in 1997, Atlanta-based Cox Communications tapped Perry as employee No. 1 of a new venture that came to be AutoTrader, easily among the most successful online B2C verticals, with revenues today topping $1 billion.

Perry stepped down from AutoTrader about a year ago, giving him the chance to reflect and observe changes in the local media marketplace. Perry will bring his observations to BIA/Kelsey’s Leading in Local: The National Impact conference, May 7-9 in Atlanta. Perry will speak first at a luncheon for BIA/Kelsey clients and then will kick off the conference with an executive session with BIA/Kelsey CEO Tom Buono and Managing Director Rick Ducey.

We talked to Ducey about Perry and the important role he’ll play at the conference.

“Chip is a pioneer in Internet marketing, Internet advertising and in internal disruption within big companies,” Ducey said. “After taking the year to take stock and see what is going on in the industry, I am so excited to hear what kind of insights he has, what kind of observations he has.”

Check out this video for more of Ducey’s comments on Perry.

The post Looking Ahead to Atlanta: Chip Perry's Unique Perspective appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Longtime industry change agent Chip Perry wrote the playbook for how to use “internal disruption” as a positive force within a traditional media environment. Back in 1997, Atlanta-based Cox Communications tapped Perry as employee No. 1 of a new venture that came to be AutoTrader, easily among the most successful online B2C verticals, with revenues today topping $1 billion.

Perry stepped down from AutoTrader about a year ago, giving him the chance to reflect and observe changes in the local media marketplace. Perry will bring his observations to BIA/Kelsey’s Leading in Local: The National Impact conference, May 7-9 in Atlanta. Perry will speak first at a luncheon for BIA/Kelsey clients and then will kick off the conference with an executive session with BIA/Kelsey CEO Tom Buono and Managing Director Rick Ducey.

We talked to Ducey about Perry and the important role he’ll play at the conference.

“Chip is a pioneer in Internet marketing, Internet advertising and in internal disruption within big companies,” Ducey said. “After taking the year to take stock and see what is going on in the industry, I am so excited to hear what kind of insights he has, what kind of observations he has.”

Check out this video for more of Ducey’s comments on Perry.

The post Looking Ahead to Atlanta: Chip Perry’s Unique Perspective appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

The spanking new program is set for Leading in Local: The National Impact, which is May 7-9 in Atlanta.

We?ve put together a great list of 55 hand-picked speakers ? all centered on what?s really happening in local with a special, unprecedented eye on the all important franchise and brand customer — plus a unique tour of The Weather Company (and a chance to meet weather celebrity Sam Champion.)

Leading executives and thought leaders with advanced franchise and brand applications for local are at the top of the bill, including:

— Chip Perry, Independent Consultant, AutoTrader’s ‘First Employee’
— Curt Hecht, Global CRO, The Weather Co.
— Mark Marinacci, President, Gannett/GO Digital
— David Lebow, EVP & GM of Digital Markets, YP
— Mitch Spolan, EVP, Global Retail, Living Social

And we’ve added some great session speakers, including:

— John Gregory, Chief Category Development Officer, AOL
— JonPaul Rexing, director of sales, ESPN Local
— Kevin Vanes, director, national sales and partnerships, Angie’s List.
— Meribeth Papuga, Exec VP and Director of Local Activation, MediaVest

The centerpiece of the conference is several key sessions where we go deep on search, geotargeting, digital agencies, cross channel and loyalty programs. Leaders will share their local insights from top franchise groups and brands representing most of the top local verticals, including auto dealers, real estate, restaurants/dining, health services, insurance, travel, consumer packaged goods, moving and cleaning. The companies appearing include a vital cross- section of U.S. commerce:

— AAA of the Carolinas
— Aflac
— AutoTrader
— General Mills
— Genghis Grill
— McKesson Health
— Maid Right
— Scion
— Two Men and a Truck
— U-Haul International

Will you join the BIA/Kelsey local community in Atlanta? Register

The post Speaker Update for 'Leading in Local: The National Impact' May 7-9, Atlanta appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

The spanking new program is set for Leading in Local: The National Impact, which is May 7-9 in Atlanta.

We’ve put together a great list of 55 hand-picked speakers – all centered on what’s really happening in local with a special, unprecedented eye on the all important franchise and brand customer — plus a unique tour of The Weather Company (and a chance to meet weather celebrity Sam Champion.)

Leading executives and thought leaders with advanced franchise and brand applications for local are at the top of the bill, including:

— Chip Perry, Independent Consultant, AutoTrader’s ‘First Employee’
— Curt Hecht, Global CRO, The Weather Co.
— Mark Marinacci, President, Gannett/GO Digital
— David Lebow, EVP & GM of Digital Markets, YP
— Mitch Spolan, EVP, Global Retail, Living Social

And we’ve added some great session speakers, including:

— John Gregory, Chief Category Development Officer, AOL
— JonPaul Rexing, director of sales, ESPN Local
— Kevin Vanes, director, national sales and partnerships, Angie’s List.
— Meribeth Papuga, Exec VP and Director of Local Activation, MediaVest

The centerpiece of the conference is several key sessions where we go deep on search, geotargeting, digital agencies, cross channel and loyalty programs. Leaders will share their local insights from top franchise groups and brands representing most of the top local verticals, including auto dealers, real estate, restaurants/dining, health services, insurance, travel, consumer packaged goods, moving and cleaning. The companies appearing include a vital cross- section of U.S. commerce:

— AAA of the Carolinas
— Aflac
— AutoTrader
— General Mills
— Genghis Grill
— McKesson Health
— Maid Right
— Scion
— Two Men and a Truck
— U-Haul International

Will you join the BIA/Kelsey local community in Atlanta? Register

The post Speaker Update for ‘Leading in Local: The National Impact’ May 7-9, Atlanta appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

BIA/Kelsey, forecasting $52.9 Billion in national local spending by 2017, has unveiled its new Leading in Local: The National Impact conference, which will take place in Atlanta May 7-9.

The 2.5 Day event is expected to be the largest gathering of national brands and local marketing players that has ever taken place. Brands, franchises, multi-location stores and others will be the focus.

We’re ready with national local’s top leaders, including Weather Company Global Revenue Officer Curt Hecht; Gannett/G/O Digital SVP Mark Marinacci; Foursquare VP of Sales Rob Wilks; Living Social SVP Mitch Spolan; AutoTrader Founder Chip Perry; YP EVP & GM of Digital Markets David Lebow; ReachLocal SVP John Gould; Yodle VP Corey O’Donnell; MediaVest EVP Maribeth Papuga; and many other leading innovators.

A number of speakers will be accompanied by top brands they are working with. The list already includes marketing leaders at brands such as Scion, Two Men and a Truck, Genghis Grill, and PostNet. BIA/Kelsey is also holding The GOLOCAL Awards for brands, which will include an on stage presentation.

This isn’t your typical “local” event. It’s all new, it’s all important. And it’s all here. Register.

The post ‘National Brands, Local Marketing': BIA/Kelsey’s Spring Event is May 7-9 in Atlanta appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

BIA/Kelsey, forecasting $52.9 Billion in national local spending by 2017, has unveiled its new Leading in Local: The National Impact conference, which will take place in Atlanta May 7-9.

The 2.5 Day event is expected to be the largest gathering of national brands and local marketing players that has ever taken place. Brands, franchises, multi-location stores and others will be the focus.

We’re ready with national local’s top leaders, including Weather Company Global Revenue Officer Curt Hecht; Gannett/G/O Digital SVP Mark Marinacci; Foursquare VP of Sales Rob Wilks; Living Social SVP Mitch Spolan; AutoTrader Founder Chip Perry; YP EVP & GM of Digital Markets David Lebow; ReachLocal SVP John Gould; Yodle VP Corey O’Donnell; MediaVest EVP Maribeth Papuga; and many other leading innovators.

A number of speakers will be accompanied by top brands they are working with. The list already includes marketing leaders at brands such as Scion, Two Men and a Truck, Genghis Grill, and PostNet. BIA/Kelsey is also holding The GOLOCAL Awards for brands, which will include an on stage presentation.

This isn’t your typical “local” event. It’s all new, it’s all important. And it’s all here. Register.

The post 'National Brands, Local Marketing': BIA/Kelsey's Spring Event is May 7-9 in Atlanta appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Prior to his position with AutoTrader, Perry led several digital initiatives at Times Mirror. He has been a true pioneer in the development of vertical online media, making up the rules for what a vertical site should be as he went along. His personal style has also been unique. Any walk through the hallways of AutoTrader’s headquarters with Perry was a joyful exercise in Meet and Greet – he knows almost everyone.

Inside the industry, he is known as a very tough competitor who doesn’t give an inch. The same attitude was reflected in his relations with industry analysts. He challenges every critical comment, but is personally gracious at all times. A model top executive, he could often be found sitting in the back at BIA/Kelsey conferences and auto industry events, taking it all in and ready to exchange ideas with just about anyone.

Some Favorite “Chip Perryisms” Over the Years:

*The secret to success in the auto space is to focus on unmet needs. When it comes to auto sites, what people want are “cars, inventory and specials.”

*We always operate on the assumption that horizontal companies are coming after us.

*Online’s real value is that it is closing the information gap. The biggest gap was making used cars visible. We used to have three percent of them visible; now we have 50 percent.

*The automotive industry is an influencing medium rather than a direct response medium.

*The fundamental role of an intermediary is to influence consumers.

The post AutoTrader Head Chip Perry Resigns; Favorite ‘Chip Perryisms’ appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Increasingly, a lot of the mobile discussion is oriented towards ecommerce. But what does a major vertical site do with mobile when it doesn’t sell anything online?

AutoTrader, the leading auto site, doesn’t sell cars online. “We basically sell advertising,” notes Jose Puente, AutoTrader’s Director of Product Strategy, Mobile/Affinity Brands, who was speaking Oct. 22 at OMMA Mobile MCommerce event in Los Angeles.

Mobile is important to AutoTrader for a number of reasons. It reaches consumers on the go as they are searching for cars. It also reaches certain demographic groups that are more mobile oriented than online oriented. Puente himself is a veteran marketer who in the past was a Hispanic Yellow Pages publisher. “The U.S. Hispanic population has historically over indexed in mobile usage over other segments,” he notes.

“Today the difference between the our website and our mobile products is not considerably different. On average, about eighty percent of people that research a particular car don’t actually end up buying that car,” says Puente. “Our sites help car shoppers in the discovery process and provide the tools to negotiate a reasonable deal. We are currently working on enhancing our mobile products for ‘on the lot’ experiences, the part of the shopper journey that we can now be a relevant part of due to mobile,” he added.

AutoTrader.com’s mobile products, including a mobile website and an Android and iPhone app boost the usage of ‘MyAutoTrader’, a personalization feature. As shoppers save vehicles that interest them, sellers are notified in real time that “anonymous” shoppers are interested in a specific vehicle in real time. Sellers can provide additional information about the vehicle, thus improving the experience for buyers.

“It creates a lot of engagement with shoppers, and provides real measurable value back to advertisers. We have seen as much as a 42 percent increase in buyer to seller interactions as a result,” notes Puente, ” and consumer ‘value event’s’ make up a large part of the way we are measured from a success standpoint with our advertisers.”

The post AutoTrader: Mobile Site Boosting Personalized Usage, Leads appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

Cars still need to be sold by salespeople and that never changes. And most people still want to get on the phone to talk to their dealer. What does change is the ability to find cars on the Web, notes AutoTrader CEO Chip Perry, who was speaking at the Borrell show last week in New York.

The automotive industry is “an influencing medium rather than a direct response medium,” adds Perry. “The fundamental role of an intermediary is to influence consumers” rather than get involved in transactional or pay-per-click models. Just 3 percent of used cars had been listed in the pre-digital days, he noted. But now it is a requirement to have comprehensive listings up on the site. Digital media revenue models such as featured listings won’t work if you can’t get comprehensive listings up, he says.

It also holds down the cost of selling every car. “It’s an efficiency model,” says Perry. AutoTrader’s effective CPM for an association campaign is $375. The effective CPM for a spot TV campaign, on the other hand, will run around $7,346.

AutoTrader itself has been rapidly growing like “a rocket ship,” due in part to key acquisitions, such as KBB.com and backend tools for dealers, which boost value. While AutoTrader hasn’t raised base rates on its dealers for three years, it still is seeing 15 percent annual growth due to addition of tools, says Perry. Revenues have climbed from $626 million in 2009 to $720 million in 2010, and are projected to reach $1.037 billion this year. There has been rampant speculation that AutoTrader is preparing itself for an IPO, but Perry did not address these.

Long term, Perry says AutoTrader’s business will be sustained by drilling down deeper beyond listings. “We always operate on the assumption that horizontal companies are coming after us.” Recently, the company has added features such as comparison shopping for both new and used cars. “What new car cars shoppers really want is inventory,” he says.

The company is also becoming more of a media entity that offers a range of solutions related to auto marketing. With KBB, which lives on as a separate brand, for instance, AutoTrader has developed a trade-in marketplace.

“Trade-ins are the biggest pain point in auto shopping,” says Perry. With KBB’s new deal, dealers can make an offer online and allow users to redeem it at their dealership. It makes sense to do it on KBB since 80 percent go on the site to research the value of their used cars. The new effort is being heavily marketed with TV advertising.

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