ATLANTA, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoTrader.com, the ultimate automotive marketplace, is taking interactive advertising to the next level with the new Overdrive homepage solution. Comprised of multiple interactive ad units, the solution proved to be incredibly successful for its inaugural advertiser, Chevrolet, delivering significantly higher interaction rates—more than 10 times the industry average—and increasing shopping for the new Chevrolet Sonic by 49 percent on AutoTrader.com.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/autotradercom-takes-interactive-advertising-into-overdrive-with-exclusive-homepage-solution-136450648.html

"The demand for brand experiences has never been higher, and Overdrive enables us to deliver a unique, highly engaging and influential new car advertising solution that drives value for our clients and consumers," said Matt McKenna, senior vice president of national accounts at AutoTrader.com. "For our OEM clients, Overdrive provides them an exclusive way to raise the visibility of a vehicle and increase engagement with their brand online. Consumers get an exciting experience where they can interact with and learn about a new car."

Overdrive is an ultra-premium, custom advertising experience launched from the AutoTrader.com homepage that integrates rich media with unique features not available in any of the other advertising solutions on the site. The experience is built around a large creative canvas with multiple ad components and page elements, including a marquee banner with out-of-banner animation, branded wallpaper and a user-initiated "Sidekick," which expands into a fully interactive experience for auto shoppers.

First Overdrive Campaign Delivers Significant Exposure and Drives Additional Search Activity

The Chevrolet Sonic was the first vehicle to utilize the AutoTrader.com Overdrive solution, adding to the long list of "firsts" for the new compact car. Exceeding all site benchmarks, the Sonic achieved substantial lifts in terms of both volume and share, significantly outpacing other vehicles in the compact car segment in week-over-week volume change. Searches for the Sonic increased 49 percent during the week of the campaign, and the Sonic's share of searches in the compact segment increased 63 percent, exceeding all previous volumes and showing deeper engagement at the VIN level. The ads also generated significant traffic to Chevrolet's site, another key indicator of success.

"We are very excited to have the Chevy Sonic be the first vehicle showcased in the AutoTrader.com Overdrive homepage solution. Since the theme of the launch has been 'firsts' this was a perfect fit and aligned well with other elements of the overall campaign," said Johanne Pearson, manager, in market digital advertising, Chevrolet Division.

Car shoppers were engaged with the Sonic ads at strong levels, which was demonstrated by a combination of ad interactions on the site at a rate more than 10 times the industry average. Shoppers took various specific calls to action such as exploring the model, reviewing trim and selecting colors—actions that proved a high level of interest in the Sonic. Consumers also spent twice the amount of time interacting with the ad compared to the industry average.

"This was our first major project with AutoTrader.com and our teams did a great job on execution," said Tom Dobry, group account director on Chevrolet for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. "The new IAB Sidekick ad unit really lends itself to engaging with auto shoppers on AutoTrader.com and complemented the experience we had built for the Sonic on Chevy.com."

Each Overdrive campaign lasts one week, running Monday through Sunday, and is only available to one advertiser per quarter. AutoTrader.com worked closely with PointRoll to develop the functionality.

About AutoTrader.com

Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com, created in 1997, is the Internet's ultimate automotive marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers and is a leading online resource for auto dealers, individuals and manufacturers to advertise and market their vehicles to in-market shoppers. The company also provides a robust suite of software tools for dealers and manufacturers to help them manage and market their vehicle inventory and display advertising on the Internet. AutoTrader.com continues to grow key business metrics, including revenue, profitability and site traffic. Today, AutoTrader.com attracts millions of unique monthly visitors who utilize the site to review descriptions, photos and videos of vehicles for sale; research and compare vehicles; review pricing and specials; and read auto-related content like buying and selling tips and editorial coverage of major auto shows and automotive trends. AutoTrader.com operates one other auto marketing brand, AutoTraderClassics.com. AutoTrader.com also owns used vehicle management software company vAuto, Kelley Blue Book (Kbb.com), HomeNet Automotive, a leading provider of online inventory management and merchandising solutions for the automotive retail industry and VinSolutions, a leading provider of end-to-end solution platforms for dealers.  AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Providence Equity Partners is a 25 percent owner of the company and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

SOURCE AutoTrader.com