Stephen continues his coverage of the GM eSummit, stopping this week in Chicago for more great tactics to dominate digital.

I often find that the greatest source of automotive thought leadership in today’s digital strategies stem from prominent auto dealer social networks such as Automotive Digital Marketing,DealerElite, and David Kain’s Idea Exchange. It was on these forums that I first heard something about Autocon 2012 – a brand new dealer convention and training workshop focused on offering hands-on help for the auto community. I didn’t think very hard about this convention, electing instead to get back to my strenuous workload of watching cat videos and Honey Boo Boo clips on Youtube.

I was amazed to find that the aforementioned convention had followed me there. Videos completely unrelated to the car business were rolling AutoCon ads. I couldn’t watch a Rays highlight reel without seeing Glenn Pasch or Ralph Paglia exhort me to get my tickets today (why yes, I am very busy at ActivEngage). It was like all of Youtube had been infected with these particular video advertisements. My trip to the GM eSummit taught me that the individuals behind the convention were using a revolutionary new technique called video remarketing.

As I learned in GM eSummit workshops hosted by automotive thought leaders such as Toni Morandi, Lyndsey Rodriguez, and Alexi Venneri, video remarketing is the future of advertising. Here’s how it works: Google Adwords tracks exactly which sites each user visits. Online marketers can target video ads based on webpages that a user has already been to. Through Youtube AdWords, the folks behind AutoCon could use the fact that I had been to an auto dealer forum to send me their message again (or “remarket”) with video ads.

It’s probably not hard to imagine the potential application of this technology for dealers. What if you could play a video of a Silverado test drive for only those people who have looked at a Silverado on your inventory page? Video remarketing ensures that you are hitting exactly the right people with the right ad. And the best part? You don’t pay a dime unless the viewer actually finishes the video – making Youtube ads the cheapest and most efficient form of online advertising.

Some users have been whining about being inundated with info about this AutoCon business (a complaint that I fully understand). But I can’t help but be fascinated with their methods of targeting a specific audience with surgical precision. Other companies, such as ActivEngage partnerHaystak Digital Marketing, have already begun specializing in this field.  I truly believe that the future of advertising lies in video remarketing – and if you’re a GM dealer, it’s covered by iMR funding. Find out more about this method of video advertising here!