ATLANTA, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As the leading online resource in the automotive marketplace, AutoTrader.com makes its mark on the big game by tracking what advertisements drive consumer online shopping behavior.  Using a methodology that identifies the real-time correlation of advertising value to car manufacturers' ad spots, AutoTrader.com monitored consumer activity on its site of shopper vehicle search pre-and post-commercial air time, from the automotive ads that ran from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 5. 

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"There was a flood of hype around the auto ads that ran this year, and they certainly dominated the air waves during the game, but how that translates from game time ad to online shopper activity is probably the most compelling to advertisers and manufacturers trying to understand shopper behavior and the value of an ad spend for the big game," said Rick Wainschel, vice president of automotive insights at AutoTrader.com.

The following car manufacturers ran ads this year:  Volkswagen, Honda, Acura, Toyota, Hyundai, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Fiat, Kia, Chrysler, and Cadillac. Between the hours of 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, more than 30 car commercials ran and of those vehicles showcased, six performed the highest among shopper searches on the AutoTrader.com website. 

From the data analytics, AutoTrader.com shows that the Acura NSX ad spot performed highest overall in the number of shopper vehicle searches between pre-game and commercial air time – garnering 17 times more searches or 1775 percent more activity on the AutoTrader.com site.  Both Kia Optima and Toyota Camry followed, with 398 percent and 370 percent increases respectively.  Rounding out the top five are the Fiat 500 who showed a 360 percent increase in site activity, and the Hyundai Veloster with a 302 percent increase.

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