ATLANTA, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, February 16, AutoTrader.com, the ultimate automotive marketplace, experienced an all-time record number of car shoppers: 974,851 unique visitors, 1,199,515 sessions and 19,796,740 page views. AutoTrader.com attributes these record numbers on Monday to exposure during the NBA All-Star 2009 in Phoenix and the Daytona 500, two of the most watched sports events of the year which both took place this past weekend, and to momentum generated from the January launch of the company's 2009 media campaign. Dealers and individuals listing cars for sale on the site benefit from this exposure as more in-market buyers saw their vehicles listed for sale than ever before.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080205/CLTU088LOGO )

AutoTrader.com, through its partnership with TNT, received exposure during the NBA All-Star Weekend, February 13-15, on NBA.com, during the AutoTrader.com All-Star Drive giveaway with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the AutoTrader.com Tip-Off Show, advertising spots airing throughout the weekend on TNT and courtside signage during the All-Star game broadcast. Ratings for this year's All-Star game were up six percent compared to last year's NBA All-Star broadcast.

AutoTrader.com also had exposure leading up to and during the Daytona 500, broadcast Sunday on Fox. In the pre-race broadcast and during the race, Fox aired the "AutoTrader.com Trading Paint" segment, a 30-second feature that highlighted which drivers had switched teams recently. AutoTrader.com also had 30-second advertising spots during the race.

"AutoTrader.com has a year-long strategy to put our brand in front of people during high-engagement events like the Daytona 500 and NBA All-Star," said AutoTrader.com's Chief Marketing Officer Clark Wood. "Our goal is to make our brand top of mind among current and potential car buyers, drive those people to our site and connect buyers with the dealers and individuals listing vehicles for sale on our site."

In January, the company secured advertising time during the BCS National Championship Game and the National Football League NFC playoffs on Fox, which helped push site traffic to 15.25 million unique monthly visitors, compared to 14.3 million unique monthly visitors in January 2008. That 15.25 million unique visitors represented the company's highest January site traffic ever.

For 2009, the company's media plan puts AutoTrader.com in front of over 167 million people. During the year, AutoTrader.com will continue to receive exposure through the company's relationship with the NBA. This includes the NBA on TNT broadcasts featuring pre-game entitlement during the AutoTrader.com Tip-Off Show, on-court signage for games broadcast on TNT and branding assets on NBA.com. AutoTrader.com will also appear during major NBA events like the NBA playoffs, the just-concluded All-Star 2009 and the AutoTrader.com Open outdoor game.

For 2009, AutoTrader.com has expanded its presence in sports with exposure on some of 2009's biggest sporting events, including this past weekend's Daytona 500; Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, post season playoffs and World Series; and NFL football in the fall.

AutoTrader.com further leverages its connection to sports through sponsoring a variety of professional sports teams, including the New England Patriots, the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim, the New York Yankees and more. Through these sponsorships, AutoTrader.com receives exposure in a variety of ways, including signage in or around stadiums and ball parks and exposure during radio and television broadcasts of games. During the winter, AutoTrader.com has exhibited at a variety of large auto shows around the country, including shows in Cleveland, Chicago, San Diego and Philadelphia, which has also helped drive attention to the brand and traffic to the site.

The company will also be seen on the most watched entertainment events and shows on cable television, including the MTV Movie Awards; VH1's Storytellers; Spike TV's Guy's Choice Awards, Scream Awards and Video Game Awards; and Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report.

About AutoTrader.com

AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location about 3.5 million new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from 40,000 dealers and 250,000 private owners and the site attracts about 14 million unique monthly visitors. Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improving the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

SOURCE: AutoTrader.com

Web site: http://www.autotrader.com/