Digital Marketing Is a Half-Truth | C-4 Analytics Webinar

Uncovering the Three Structural Barriers to Your Success

This webinar, originally presented by C-4 Analytics on the Digital Dealer platform, tackles a misconception that has defined the automotive industry for years: the phrase "digital marketing." As C-4 Analytics’ Rob Stoesser argues, one half of that phrase is a half-truth. It’s all "digital" now, but are you truly engaging in "marketing"?

Using truth, fact, and logic, we’ll prove that what most dealers are doing today is not marketing. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

The Problem: Three Structural Barriers

True marketing is the act of marshaling and deploying a company's resources to achieve the dual goals of customer satisfaction and revenue generation. Most dealers are not doing this because they are held back by three structural barriers that are endemic to the business models of many digital vendors.

Barrier #1: The Product Problem

You're not buying a customized, strategic service; you're buying a product. A product is something a company builds once and sells thousands of times with as little customization as possible. This is the exact opposite of what effective marketing requires.

• Symptoms: Your vendor’s reps have 50-100 accounts, changes take too long, and your marketing materials—from websites to ad copy—are generic and templated. A quick search of a line from your website may show 49 million other results.
• The Solution: To truly market, you must localize every element of your digital presence to your unique market, inventory, pricing, and why-buys. If your vendor sells products, they are not incentivized to make these crucial, granular changes.

Barrier #2: The Conflict Problem

A conflicted vendor sells their products or services to your facing, on-brand rivals. By paying them, you are funding an opponent in your own market. This creates a situation where the vendor cannot ethically or structurally help you gain market share over a competing dealership that is also their client.

• Symptoms: Your vendor avoids talking about strategy, especially your OEM reports like "pump-in/pump-out" data. They focus on jargon like "cost-per-click" rather than sales and share.
• The Solution: You need a conflict-free partner who is solely dedicated to your success. A vendor that sells "gunpowder to both sides of the conflict" ensures that no one wins except them. To truly gain share, you must work with a partner who is fighting for you, not for everyone.

Barrier #3: The Fragmentation Problem

Many dealers hire multiple vendors for different services (e.g., one for the website, one for SEO, one for paid media). This creates silos where these companies do not communicate or coordinate their efforts.

• Symptoms: Accountability is nonexistent; when goals are missed, each vendor blames the others. It's impossible to create a cohesive, integrated strategy when your website provider and your paid media company are not working together.
• The Solution: You need a unified, integrated approach where all your digital efforts work toward a single goal. Whether you hire one full-service agency or an internal team to quarterback your vendors, a lack of communication and strategic alignment will cause friction and cost you sales.

The Only Path to Being “All Set”

You can't be "all set" if your digital marketing is a half-truth. The future of automotive retail—with custom orders, EVs, and new sales models—demands a return to true marketing. To truly dominate, you must solve these three problems. Find a partner who can provide a customized, conflict-free, and integrated solution that is tailored to your dealership's fight.

Watch the Full Webinar

For a deeper dive into these topics and to hear directly from Rob Stoesser, Vice President of OEM, watch the full webinar below.