CDP - Customer Data Platforms?

[joe.pistell]

DealerRefresh membership is priceless.
ChatGPT's CDP info was useless, written by p*nis puffers

 

[Dan Sayer]

It seems like everyone in automotive is talking about CDPs (customer data platforms), the latest buzzword in the industry. But with so many vendors claiming to have one, how do you know which CDP can truly deliver on its promises and help you power better customer experiences?

The truth is, very few CDPs on the market today are actually able to provide the level of customer insights and personalization that dealers need to thrive. Instead, many of these so-called CDPs seem to be primarily designed to supplement advertising agency revenue (possibly to replace the loss of Google Partner $?) by charging a flat monthly fee for a platform that powers advertising campaigns that dealers were already running. So the obvious question is: is the improvement in ad performance worth the added cost?

For dealers with larger advertising budgets, the answer may be yes. But for those with smaller budgets, it's important to carefully consider the cost-benefit analysis before committing to a CDP that may not deliver the ROI you're hoping for.

If you're considering a CDP for your dealership, make sure to do your research and choose a vendor that has a proven track record of delivering real value to its customers. Don't get caught up in the hype of the latest buzzword – focus on finding a solution that can truly help you improve your customer experiences and grow your business. For some dealers, it might be better to consider pushing that money to the bottom line of your financial statement while you wait for your perfect CDP partner to emerge from the current CDP frenzy.

So, what are your thoughts on CDPs and their role in automotive marketing? Have you had success with a particular vendor, or are you still weighing your options?

I knew there had to be a post from you on this @Ryan Everson! This is what I was texting you about yesterday. Shift Digital and Mazda are claiming to be the first OEM with a full strategy and certified provider list ready to launch. Here at our group, Mazda was running the slide deck but Shift was clearly driving the CDP strategy along with a reporting dashboard that all vendor partners report through. No more array of vendor dashboards, but a Shift controlled data center. I thought Shift did a great job on this one and the partnerships and data sharing needed to bring the program together seemed well thought out with years of planning. Biggest eyebrow raiser was the claim of identifying 40% of your web visitors without Mazda or Shift buying lists. That identifying capability was going to come from the CDP strategy itself. Good to also see OTT as part of a strategy to help identify those same visits to sites and assist the overall CDP.

The only item that was disappointing was to see Shift, without asking, offer up their recommended vendor partners from their own list. Stop playing favorites Shift, especially if you vetted all your certified vendors equally. Here was the program page given to dealers from Mazda and Shift. Mazda Enrollment