DMEautomotive named as Dealer Marketing Magazine’s 2014 Technology Leader in Service Marketing for Driver Connect

Daytona Beach, Fla., April 9, 2014 -- DMEautomotive’s (DMEa), the leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, has received the prestigious Dealer Marketing Magazine Technology Leadership Award for the second year in a row.    Recognized once again for best service marketing, DMEa won the award for Driver Connect, its groundbreaking mobile app. This is the fifth technology award DMEa has won in the past 12 months, four of which were for Driver Connect.

“We launched Driver Connect to the industry in 2012 because we knew that nothing was going to be more critical to dealership service and customer retention than engaging customers where they are increasingly spending their time, on their smartphones,” said Mike Walther, president and CEO of DMEautomotive. “Since then, Driver Connect has continued to evolve ahead of the mobile – and service marketing – curve, deeply integrating with every step a dealership customer takes on his/her ownership journey. We are honored to again be recognized by Dealer Marketing Magazine Technology Leaderships Awards for our contribution to ensuring better, more effective, results-driven service marketing in our industry.”

Driver Connect helps dealerships keep pace with the new, “mobile-first,” consumer realities, by offering the first dealer-branded app that marries cool, truly useful and personalized automotive tools for customers, with keep-them-spending features for dealers – like “one tap” service appointment scheduling, robust new and used inventory search, and super-targeted offers tied to specific vehicles. Driver Connect also includes chat, vehicle-in-service/ready alerts, pre-paid maintenance, loyalty program and mobile wallet support, native service scheduler, push notifications, vehicle matching, and much more.  Driver Connect has been adopted by some of the largest dealer groups across the nation, and has won multiple awards, including the prestigious American Business Award, the 2013 BizTech Innovation Award®, and PCG Consulting – Automotive Website Award (2014).

The Dealer Marketing Magazine Technology Leadership Awards are unique because of multiple safeguards and a selection process designed to ensure objectivity. A supplier does not need to be an advertiser in Dealer Marketing Magazine in order to be considered or eligible for an award. To be considered in any Technology award category, vendors needed to be nominated by at least two separate dealers. To ensure the Dealer Marketing Magazine Technology Awards remained unbiased, the voting was moderated by Joe Webb and Bill Playford of DealerKnows Consulting, with all judging performed by members of the newly-formed Automotive Peer Review board. Vendors can be nominated for the award in any area of the dealership, from social media and service solutions to F&I tools. The only requirement is that the technology has benefited the dealership in some way.

About DMEautomotive
DMEautomotive (DMEa) is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealers to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention.

DMEa does not take marketing performance on faith, and each product and service is measured by a simple, precise scientific approach: Is it true? Prove it. Will it work? Test it. Does it generate results? Show it! Supported by DMEa's proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data-driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Fla.

About Dealer Marketing Magazine

Dealer Marketing Magazine was started in 2002 by ad agency veteran, Brett Stevenson, owner of Stevenson Advertising, in Seattle, Washington. A team of auto marketing experts, led by Editor in Chief Michael Bowen, currently produce it. The Dealer Marketing Magazine staff is dedicated to providing auto dealers nationwide with a relevant one-stop resource for their advertising, marketing, sales, education, and business development needs. Every month, Dealer Marketing Magazine is mailed to over 18,000 auto dealers (most new car dealers and the nation's top used car dealers) and more than 1,000 industry-affiliated professionals. Dealer Marketing Magazine, however, is not a news magazine; it is a trade magazine focused on business success. Our focus is not up-to-the-minute information on manufacturer news, personnel promotions, and other news events. While some dealers may find this news informative, our experience suggests that dealers are more interested in learning how to be more effective marketers and better businesspeople.

DMEautomotive Media Relations:

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, 949-307-1723, melanie@mwebbcom.com

Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, 714-987-1016, crystal@mwebbcom.com