In a clear warning to Cabletelevision, GM's Betsy Lazar, executive director of advertising & marketing operations, said that “If we stay where we are, buying spots and billboards alone, our business with you will shrink,” Lazar said.
"The move to non-linear platforms such as broadband and video-on-demand should be familiar to anyone who remembers when agencies first began steering clients to cable."
She also warned that in order to keep up with consumer migration to digital media, planners and ad clients will have to change their course “with a great sense of urgency.”
“Clearly, we want to activate VOD for our dealers as soon as possible,” Lazar said, adding that the “potential for advertising revenue should be a key enabler in getting this done.”
Citing some early usage data GM saw after beginning a partnership with the VOD auto channel, Driver TV, Lazar said that users who call up GM video spend an average of three minutes on each model.
“Think about that for a moment: Three minutes to voluntarily watch a commercial. That’s a game changer.”
She commented that the Internet is at this time the most attractive environment for advertisers. “We can truly create an ROI on every transaction, beginning with impressions, conversions to leads, right down to sales.”
At this time around 70% of car and truck buyers use the Internet as an integral part of their decision-making and buying process.
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