A new report by Adobe Digital Insights (ADI) has a critical takeaway for automotive marketers: Consumers now turn to digital channels for buying information and are visiting third-party sites more than dealership sites.

1. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
2016 Automotive Report
Adobe Digital Insights

2. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Methodology
2
Data from different Adobe Marketing Cloud solutions:
Adobe
Analytics
Adobe
Social
Based on analysis of aggregated and anonymous data running through Adobe Marketing Cloud
Analysis includes:
 11+ billion visits from the top dealerships and car information websites from January 2014 through
September 2016
 57+ million social mentions from October 2015 to October 2016

3. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
Key Insights
3
1. Rumors of ridesharing killing the automotive markets have been exaggerated
2. Self-driving cars face an uphill battle, and Tesla remains behind more traditional vehicles
3. Ford F-150 takes the crown for ADI Automobile of the Year.
4. Consumers turning to information sites over dealerships

4. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
1 / Ridesharing Is Not Killing the Automotive Market
4
Expectation: Decreasing interest in sedans in cities where ridesharing is common
Reality:
 NY: +58% sedan visit growth since 2014
 LA: +19% sedan visit growth since 2014
• SUV/truck growth is booming in both NY & LA (+29% and +63% respectively)

5. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
1 / Ridesharing Is Not Killing The Automotive Market
5
What about less urban environments?
In Denver:
 Sedan and sport/luxury cars are holding steady
 SUV/trucks are growing at 45% since January 2014
Excitement has increased for Uber and Lyft:
 Combined social media mentions have increased
+350% YoY
 Lyft dominated social buzz this summer
• “Undercover Lyft” series: landed a slew of viral
videos

6. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
2 / Self-Driving Cars Face an Uphill Battle
6
While the prospects of self-driving cars are exciting, crashes have a drastic impact on
consumer sentiment

7. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
2 / Self-Driving Cars Face an Uphill Battle
7
Despite the hype around Tesla, it has a long road ahead
 Tesla garners plenty of social buzz: mentions are up 150% since October 2014
 Tesla sentiment is low compared to other high end models, and doesn’t make the top 10 most researched
models
Social Sentiment By Model
(US, Apr-Sept 2016)
POSITIVE
Volvo S90
Mercedes S Class
Porsche Boxster
Model X
Model 3
Model S

8. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
5 / ADI Automobile of the Year
8
1st
Ford F-150
Based on social mentions, social sentiment & online visits
Audi A4
2nd 3rd
Honda Civic

9. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.
/ Consumers Turning to Information Sites vs. Dealerships
9
Consumers opt to compare options via information
sites
 Traffic to automotive research has increased 12% YoY
 Dealerships have seen a 2% decrease
With less visits to dealerships, Build&Price usage is
also down 6% (since Jan 2015)
 Desktop usage: Decreased 10%
 Smartphone usage: Increased 48%
• Yet only 12% of Build&Price starts come from smartphones

10. © 2016 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Adobe Confidential.