ATLANTA, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoTrader Classics, the nation's leading online and print resource for car collectors and classic car enthusiasts, is launching a multi-media advertising campaign on Saturday, May 22, that highlights AutoTrader Classic's vast number of classic car listings and top-notch editorial features – a depth and breadth of information a user can get lost in for an hour, a day or longer.  This is the first major, integrated advertising campaign and television spot for the brand.

The focus of the new "Lost Weekend" campaign is a 30-second broadcast commercial spot that creatively and humorously highlights how absorbed a classic car enthusiast can get in AutoTrader Classics – to the point of losing track of time for an entire weekend while on the site.

The spots will run on Speed, Spike and Discovery HD Theater for the remainder of the year.  These were chosen because their viewer demographics offer audiences with a high likelihood of being interested in classic cars and the AutoTrader Classics offerings.  

"With more than 6 million classic car collectors and 25 million classic car enthusiasts, we want AutoTrader Classics to be top of mind when consumers are researching classic cars," said Rob Huting, AutoTrader Classics General Manager.  "And with those numbers growing as more people become aware of and involved in the hobby, this is a perfect time to launch this campaign and speak to current collectors and enthusiasts and those just becoming aware of classic cars."

In the digital realm, AutoTrader Classics will have a variety of ads that interact with each other and surround the user on multiple enthusiast sites. There will also be heavy integration on both the AutoTraderClassics.com website and other social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace.  These high-impact digital ads will reinforce the messaging from the television campaign.

AutoTrader Classics also will launch the "Lost Weekend with My Car" social media contest.  Users post text and photo responses to share how they lost time with their car or lost time because of their passion for cars.  The contest relates to the "Lost Weekend" theme as many classic car enthusiasts devote much of their time working on, looking for and reading about cars. Winners of the contest will have their stories published in AutoTrader Classics publications and online at AutoTraderClassics.com.

Finally, AutoTrader Classics will launch a print campaign in July that will run in eight publications for three months. These publications are: Hot Rod, Car Craft, Super Chevy, Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords, Mopar Muscle, Muscle Car Review, Street Rodder and Popular Hot Rodding.

In addition, AutoTrader Classics publications Classic Cars & Parts; Kustoms and Hot Rods; Mustang® & Ford®; Corvette® & Chevy®; Deals on Wheels; and Truck, Race and Repairable® Marketplace will include ads to further support messaging from the campaign.

The integrated campaign will reinforce brand awareness throughout the year.  AutoTrader Classics also will leverage internal assets and partnerships with AutoTrader.com, AutoTrader Access, AutoTrader Latino, Cox Communications, Univision.com and NADA Guides.  These assets and partnerships will guide classic car enthusiasts to AutoTrader Classics and increase traffic to the site.

According to some sources, classic car collecting is a $25 billion-plus annual industry.  This multi-media campaign aims to reach the collector car market and communicate AutoTrader Classics has one of the largest selection of classic cars; features a comprehensive inventory of parts, restoration and custom builds of classic vehicles; and also serves a one-stop shop for resources on how to select and maintain a collector car.  

AutoTrader.com and the company's agency, Doner, of Southfield, Mich., researched, designed and executed the many facets of this new campaign.

The link is:  www.YouTube.com/AutoTraderClassics

About AutoTrader Classics

AutoTrader Classics, launched in 2008 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading automotive classifieds marketplace dedicated to the classic vehicle sector, with more than 20,000 listings of classic cars and trucks, as well as parts for those vehicles.  Utilizing the same innovative merchandising functionality as found on AutoTrader.com, AutoTrader Classics unites classic car enthusiasts with the vehicle of their dreams.  In addition to the online marketplace, AutoTrader Classics also produces a series of print publications designed to inform and entertain classic car enthusiasts and collectors.  For more information, please visit www.autotraderclassics.com.

SOURCE AutoTrader Classics