OEM Search Engine Marketing Crackdown?!?

[terrencegordon]

I've been receiving more and more requests from dealers that are receiving compliance issues on their Paid Search and Organic SEO. The premise is that a dealer is not allowed to "target" locations outside of their AOI.

For SEM it includes limiting the geo-targeting to your AOI, and for SEO it includes removing any literal mentions of areas outside your AOI.

My questions is this:
If a dealer can buy a TV spot or a Radio spot that covers their major Metro, then why can't they do the same with their Search Engine Marketing? Because it's more transparent? Or am I missing something here?

Who's benefiting here? Surely not the consumer.

...ok that was two questions.

 

[Alex Snyder]

It is seldom that traditional advertising arms are speaking to online marketing arms within many manufacturers' organizations. Some don't even work in the same building. It is even tougher when corporate messages are being redefined by regional reps.

One thing is for sure: OEM's are sending a lot of mixed messages these days.

 

[Rob Fontano]

I just recently went through a very uncomfortable experience with an OEM where they forbid me to use any SEO and SEM against our same make competitors. The problem is that the OEM only allows dealers to be named by Town. Basically I was told to only focus on the manufacturers direct competitors and to stay within our PMA. It appears that they are trying to control the things that they think are controllable.

 

[Ryan Thompson]

Independants and lead farms attack!!!!

 

[Steve Frischer]

To me the crackdown by OEM's is being done at the behest of their dealers. They get the calls from dealers saying that another dealer is infringing on their AOI through both paid and organic search, and something needs to be done. The easiest solution is to go through the sites/vendors and give them a list of what is approved and what is not.

As to this question: My questions is this:
If a dealer can buy a TV spot or a Radio spot that covers their major Metro, then why can't they do the same with their Search Engine Marketing? Because it's more transparent? Or am I missing something here?

You can't buy spot or radio at a geo-specific area, it's sold by the metro, hence the same rules can't apply. Since you can go down to the zip-code level with SEM, stricter rules apply.

 

[Stefan]

Poll: Should The OEM Govern a Dealers SEO and Paid Search Campaigns?

Personally I don’tthink OEM Govern Dealer SEO and PaidSearch... I think "Dealers /DP" Govern it using the OEM. Over theyears I have called our reps and questioned them how can they do that... theanswer was always the same: “The DP's vote to have it this way!"

 

[terrencegordon]

To me the crackdown by OEM's is being done at the behest of their dealers.

Steve, 1,000% agree with you. The shame is that it's usually the dealers who aren't on top of their SEO or SEM who complain about "getting beat". Instead of putting work into making their online presence more visible and competitive, they complain to their OEM rep who has to mediate. In the end nobody wins, and it doesn't make any sense when dealers are competing on pricing. If new cars were based on flat pricing, it would make more sense.

Also, what about the dealer's used inventory? How can a Franchise dealer in New Jersey expect to market to his AOI exclusively when he has a specific make/model that someone in New York is looking to purchase?

 

[Jeff Kershner]

To me the crackdown by OEM's is being done at the behest of their dealers. They get the calls from dealers saying that another dealer is infringing on their AOI through both paid and organic search, and something needs to be done. The easiest solution is to go through the sites/vendors and give them a list of what is approved and what is not.

As to this question: My questions is this:
If a dealer can buy a TV spot or a Radio spot that covers their major Metro, then why can't they do the same with their Search Engine Marketing? Because it's more transparent? Or am I missing something here?

You can't buy spot or radio at a geo-specific area, it's sold by the metro, hence the same rules can't apply. Since you can go down to the zip-code level with SEM, stricter rules apply.

Steve,

I place TV buys all the time. Comcast is the Gorilla (and just announced they will be driving the advertising platform for At&t Uverse and Direct TV) and offers very targeted buys. I can buy/target geo specific all the way down to ZIP - just as accurate, if not maybe more accurate than Paid Search.

I'll walk out to the main Route from my dealership and take photos of 3 different Billboards for dealers that are 2 towns away - advertising WAY outside of their AOI.

"The easiest solution is to go through the sites/vendors and give them a list of what is approved and what is not." With all do respect, I have to disagree with you on this Steve. This is the lazy way IMO. The truth is, since most dealers are clueless to SEO as are the manufactures, this is the "lazy" way out of it.

I can submit my website to compliance and have it disapproved. Make ZERO changes, resubmit and get an approval. This happens with just about every manufacturer including Mercedes, Honda, Toyota, Ford etc. The compliance departments are filled with mostly young interns that are not properly trained. One will try and knock me for SEO and the next hasn't a clue.

If we the dealers don't saturate the search engines then the 3rd party listing sites will. Only to try and sell the leads to 3 dealers at a time. BAD experience for the consumer overall.

What's next? Tell a dealer what they can and can't post on Facebook?

What if my Dealership website has a blog and we write articles that are geo specific?

What if I have a social media tool like GoSO or SocialDealer that allows me the ability to engage on twitter with a consumer in the next town based on a Keyword search?

The list can go on... where do we draw the line.

 

[Steven Herron]

I've been receiving more and more requests from dealers that are receiving compliance issues on their Paid Search and Organic SEO. The premise is that a dealer is not allowed to "target" locations outside of their AOI.

For SEM it includes limiting the geo-targeting to your AOI, and for SEO it includes removing any literal mentions of areas outside your AOI.

My questions is this:
If a dealer can buy a TV spot or a Radio spot that covers their major Metro, then why can't they do the same with their Search Engine Marketing? Because it's more transparent? Or am I missing something here?

Who's benefiting here? Surely not the consumer.

...ok that was two questions.

We do a lot of work with hotels and the relationship between dealers and manufacturers is very similar. The brand (Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton...what have you) has tried for years to control what the hotels (which are franchises just like dealers) can do online even to the extent of not allowing them to have their own website. Most if not all, Marriott being the exception, now let the hotels market online pretty much at will as long as they protect the brand standards. It only makes sense given that we produced a site for a hotel that produced 83% of the hotel's total revenue compared to the brand's contribution of 17%.

The issue of keywords and PPC is raised because the dealers now compete globally (meaning outside of their immediate market) and even with the brands. The same thing happens with hotels. it is very competitive as it should be. Competition makes the market better and it is good for the consumer. Those who do the best job of it win. It pays to be a winner.

 

[Steve Frischer]

Jeff I basically agree with everything you are saying. I'm all for dealers being pro-active in all mediums, trying to get their word out on the street, etc.

As to compliance agencies and rulings that change from time to time, I feel your pain on that, but not much I can say beyond that.

My basic point was that, from an OEM level, the last thing we want to do is act as the AOI police with one dealer actively going into another dealer's area, it is easily the worst part of the job. But the AOI rules are in there for a reason, can't have dealers actively going into another dealer's area, part of the whole rules. Now if a customer actively chooses to engage a dealer in a different AOI, which is their right and they really should care less about AOI rules, that is of course fine. It's when you have dealers actively going outside, that's the issue.

To your point that most dealers are clueless to SEO, not sure if I totally agree, regardless, just cause you have dealers who do get it, doesn't mean they can run rough shod over those who dont' by actively going out, either physically via billboards, or digitally, via search, into another dealer's area. As an OEM, whether they like or not, they have to view the dealer body as a whole and provide as they can equal footing to all.

To me, the simplest solution is for the dealer's who "get it", do it all, but follow the AOI rules and you'll be fine. Consumers aren't dumb, if a dealer is out there, they will find them.