Kelley Blue Book Helps Car Buyers Get New Car Smart

IRVINE, Calif., April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Buying a new car can be a strenuous process with the average shopper spending more than 15 weeks and 15-17 hours online researching, and visiting three dealerships before buying their next car. With comprehensive expert editorial reviews and ratings, recommendations and other helpful new-car buying tools, Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, the vehicle valuation source trusted by both consumers and the automotive industry, gives consumers all the information they need to make an informed decision, whether choosing the perfect car or knowing what to pay for it. Simply put, Kelley Blue Book exists to make consumers smarter throughout the car-shopping journey, and this is the vision behind the company's all-new integrated marketing campaign.

Debuting today, the "Get New Car Smart" campaign is designed to reposition the brand and shift perceptions of KBB.com from a used-car pricing and valuation destination to the definitive, go-to resource for new-car shoppers. At its debut, the campaign can be seen across cable, network and streaming television platforms, digital media, including radio, and also on social media and through public relations initiatives.

"For the majority of car shoppers, KBB.com historically has been known as the trusted destination for used-car pricing and valuation," said Jessica Stafford, vice president of marketing at Kelley Blue Book's parent company Cox Automotive. "But KBB.com has so much more to offer, including unparalleled tools to help shoppers understand what they should pay for a new car, along with award-winning expert editorial content that helps consumers narrow their consideration set and ultimately choose the car that best suits their individual needs and wants." 

With the Kelley Blue Book^® Price Advisor tool, KBB.com offers car shoppers the ability to understand how much they should pay for their new vehicle based on what others have paid for similar cars in the area. In addition, new-car buyers can find the Fair Market Range, 5-Year Cost to Own information, expert and consumer ratings, new-car buying guides, new-vehicle reviews, top 10 lists, segment comparison tests, data/specs on the cars they are interested in and more.

The campaign targets men and women 18-49 years old who are in-market shopping for a new car, and seeking knowledge from an objective, trustworthy expert, as well as reassurance and a sense of confidence as they make decisions throughout the new-car buying process.

The creative was developed with Los Angeles advertising agency Zambezi, Kelley Blue Book's first collaboration with the agency, which also represents Autotrader, another Cox Automotive company. The new spot, "That's Pretty Smart," will be shared in three formats (:60/:30/:15) across television, social and various digital channels. This is the second TV campaign for the nearly-100-year-old brand, which debuted its inaugural ad campaign in summer 2012. The additional agencies supporting this campaign include 360i and Citizen Relations.

"Kelley Blue Book has long been The Trusted Resource^® for car shoppers and is the most visited third-party automotive website," said Josh DiMarcantonio, Executive Creative Director at Zambezi. "We built the marketing campaign on the idea that the brand offers a wealth of tools and information that helps car shoppers along their path to purchase, so anyone in the market for a new car can become a master new car shopper by visiting KBB.com."

To discuss this topic or any other automotive-related information with a Kelley Blue Book analyst on-camera via the company's on-site studio, please contact a member of the Public Relations team to book an interview.

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb, and get updates on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/+kbb.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry.  Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars this week.  The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies.  Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2015 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for four consecutive years.  Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive™ brand.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, vAuto®, Xtime® and a host of other brands. The global company has nearly 30,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of $18 billion and approximately 55,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

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SOURCE Kelley Blue Book