Who are we kidding? Auto awards from a SEO company?

[FrigginBandit]

How did a SEO company built after allocations of fraud become the center of automotive industry awards?

 

[Alex Snyder]

Mad respect for throwing a blunt opinion out there :thumbup:

There aren't any JD Power awards to sell our Chevy's with, so it was good that someone came up with something. I've been involved in earning a few from AWA, but can't say they've been a reason a product, I was involved with, earned more sales. It is the same thing for Chevy and their ridiculous ad campaign I guess.

However, Brian Pasch does compile a nice guide that dealers can use for free. I think that guide is an excellent starting point for a dealer looking to adopt or change vendors.

 

[FrigginBandit]

Mad respect for throwing a blunt opinion out there :thumbup:

There aren't any JD Power awards to sell our Chevy's with, so it was good that someone came up with something. I've been involved in earning a few from AWA, but can't say they've been a reason a product, I was involved with, earned more sales. It is the same thing for Chevy and their ridiculous ad campaign I guess.

However, Brian Pasch does compile a nice guide that dealers can use for free. I think that guide is an excellent starting point for a dealer looking to adopt or change vendors.

That may be so but on what proven metrics is this guide compiled? Furthermore, through which qualifications is he measuring? Wouldn’t it make sense to rely on the manufacturers that go through a strenuous vetting process through their dealer bodies and/or NADA? I mean they “are” the National Automobile Dealer’s Association so perhaps part of what they do can be to credibly compile this list for us but with intelligence vs. who pays to have a non-qualified individual say something is better than another. Once a scam artist, always a scam artist.

 

[FrigginBandit]

How did a SEO company built after allocations of fraud become the center of automotive industry awards?

@FrikinBandit

Mad respect for throwing a blunt opinion out there :thumbup:

There aren't any JD Power awards to sell our Chevy's with, so it was good that someone came up with something. I've been involved in earning a few from AWA, but can't say they've been a reason a product, I was involved with, earned more sales. It is the same thing for Chevy and their ridiculous ad campaign I guess.

However, Brian Pasch does compile a nice guide that dealers can use for free. I think that guide is an excellent starting point for a dealer looking to adopt or change vendors.

Someone famous (I don’t know who) said: if he did it once, he’ll do it again...

 

[Alex Snyder]

That may be so but on what proven metrics is this guide compiled? Furthermore, through which qualifications is he measuring? Wouldn’t it make sense to rely on the manufacturers that go through a strenuous vetting process through their dealer bodies and/or NADA? I mean they “are” the National Automobile Dealer’s Association so perhaps part of what they do can be to credibly compile this list for us but with intelligence vs. who pays to have a non-qualified individual say something is better than another.

It isn't compiled on proven metrics. It is absolutely based on opinion formulated by the people who work on the AWA awards. Sometimes there might be an expert involved in the interview/demo, but it isn't a panel of experts. It isn't a panel of voters. So, yes, it is incredibly flawed.

But I will stand by my statement of it being a good resource for those beginning their new solution search as it does provide a little insight into each product it talks about. If someone made a buying decision off of the guide, that would be silly though.

Do the OEMs supply reviews of products for dealers to choose from? In my experience they either ram a solution in the dealer's face or provide a minimal set of choices from what is basically a "pay to play" model.

And NADA? That group has missed the boat on so many technology opportunities. They could have helped standardize all sorts of different data feeds, like vehicle data for one. Without a standard for sharing vehicle data every single website shows something different and the consumer is confused to hell. I'd rather see them concentrate on that before reviewing all the vendors that pay to be on display at a once-a-year conference. What could make sense for NADA is to work with Driving Sales to get their vendor reviews better.

Unfortunately Bandit, we don't have a lot of options.

 

[Ryan Everson]

I can easily look past what you're alluding to, everyone makes mistakes or is associated with someone / family that makes mistakes. I focus more on what they're doing today.

Brian's done a lot of good and has truly made a positive impact in the automotive space. He's called out a ton of shady vendors (which often result in lawsuits against him) that has saved dealers (who are smart enough to listen to him) a ton of money.

His articles all tend to be thought provoking, sure some of them may be slanted towards certain vendors he has relationships with but as long as you keep that in mind they are without a doubt worthwhile reading. I view the awards and book the same way, overall it's a great resource to learn about a lot of products available as long as you stay aware of some potential biases which exist with most "awards".

 

[Dave Lemmon]

some of them may be slanted towards certain vendors he has relationships with

For me, this is a real problem. Launching an investigation into X type of marketing, then suddenly declaring one vendor as the white knight...when you have a cash relationship with that vendor...doesn't feel quite as egalitarian to me.

They're smart guys, I think VistaDash is a great tool, I won't say I think they are truly unbiased dealer advisers.

 

[Alexander Lau]

I find it oddly interesting that during https://automotiveattributionsummit.com, CarWars an automotive cover for Call Box announces that they bought VistaDash. Hmmm....?

I can only imagine the looks on the other "attribution" companies faces... must have been classic... Like... "Wait... WTF, we paid to be part of this thing and then he gets CW to announce it on stage, as a competitor am I supposed to clap...!?!"

LMFAO! Is there a tact screw loose somewhere?

 

[Alexander Lau]

https://forum.dealerrefresh.com/thr...-dealer-com-sites-in-google-srps.5623/page-23 and https://forum.dealerrefresh.com/threads/dealer-com-sites-are-down.5888/, yet...

...so yeah it's a giant hypocrisy. I guess that's just how things are done, you're right FrickinBandit.

 

[JamieS]

How did a SEO company built after allocations of fraud become the center of automotive industry awards?

https://forum.dealerrefresh.com/thr...-dealer-com-sites-in-google-srps.5623/page-23 and https://forum.dealerrefresh.com/threads/dealer-com-sites-are-down.5888/, yet...

...so yeah it's a giant hypocrisy. I guess that's just how things are done, you're right FrickinBandit.

I find it oddly interesting that during https://automotiveattributionsummit.com, CarWars an automotive cover for Call Box announces that they bought VistaDash. Hmmm....?

Wow I must have been under a rock and completely missed that one. They announced that at AAAS!? F**king SAVAGE!