Cobalt Celebrates 13 Years in Automotive Marketing

SEATTLE, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the thirteenth anniversary of Cobalt, the leading digital marketing services provider to the automotive industry. This last year was a pivotal time for the company, which continued to grow, solidify partnerships and enhance its full suite of digital marketing services.

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Cobalt accelerated its market momentum in 2007 with rapid revenue and profit growth, productive partnerships and the delivery of a full suite of digital marketing services for auto dealers. Cobalt's Applications unit entered into an exclusive partnership with MINI USA, significantly expanded its relationship with General Motors, and saw over 100% growth in Search and Owner Marketing services. Dealix saw over 400% growth in its used car leads business and expanded relationships with top tier suppliers, driving growth in its dealer base to a new record. IntegraLink expanded its North American dealer base to over 16,000 and announced an exclusive enterprise data extraction agreement with Chrysler.

These results demonstrate that OEMs and dealers alike are recognizing the benefits of an integrated suite of digital marketing services focused on increasing automotive sales while lowering the overall marketing cost per vehicle sold.

Francisco Diaz Rivas, General Manager, of Esserman Acura of Miami, a 10-year client of Cobalt, has been a firm believer since the beginning, "Cobalt has true staying power. They have always been forward thinking. Cobalt was the first one that built a platform that met our needs. They have the infrastructure, and the market penetration with dealers and manufacturers. They continue to deliver." Diaz Rivas also knows that customer service is the key to a successful partnership, "A lot of people have the technology, but Cobalt has the people and that is what ultimately sets them apart."

Cobalt also continued to place importance on automotive marketing thought leadership by publishing the 2007 Dealer eBusiness Performance Study: The New Buying Influences, the largest research initiative in the automotive industry. Cobalt, together with research partners Yahoo! and R.L. Polk & Co., uncovered rapid shifts in online automotive consumer behavior.

"Working with Cobalt means we have one company that manages all aspects of our website and our internet marketing -- it simplifies our efforts and gives us more control -- one source to go to for support, results and accountability," said Shaun Weissman, Manager of Business Development for Rallye BMW. "We have looked at other companies to see what they have to offer, but Cobalt is the best overall solution."

Cobalt's operational excellence continued to win industry recognition. Cobalt was awarded the first annual Excellence in Operations Award from Google. Cobalt was chosen as the winner for its extensive variety of customer services and the highly-skilled level at which it provides these services. In addition, Cobalt won the Achievement in Customer Satisfaction (ACE) Award for the third year in a row. Cobalt's commitment to best-in-class customer service has lead to year after year customer satisfaction levels over 95%.

Dealix was the "Platinum Award Winner" for new car lead providers in the 2007 Auto Dealer Monthly Dealers' Choice Awards. The annual survey offers dealers the opportunity to rate service providers across multiple categories on how they help dealers. Dealix has taken top honors in the survey since the award's inception in 2005.

"As we celebrate our 13th anniversary this St. Patrick's Day, I am extremely proud of our efforts to-date, to bring high-ROI, measureable, digital media marketing services to the automotive industry," Cobalt CEO, Chairman and co-founder, John Holt said. " As we think about the road ahead, we are highly confident that we will continue to provide dealers and manufacturers with top of the line marketing services and products that will enhance industry profitability and increase auto buyer and owner satisfaction."

"Cobalt is fairly priced, has great advocates that are on our side and make the program even stronger, and relevant products. We have worked with other vendors and nothing fit right with our needs. Cobalt just made too much sense," said Rich Diver, President of Diver Chevrolet, a leading Delaware dealership. Diver sums up Cobalt nicely when he says, "Why is Cobalt the best choice for us? It's the people, it's the processes. It's everything."

About Cobalt

Cobalt is North America's leading provider of automotive marketing services. For thirteen years, Cobalt's mission has been to help automobile dealers and manufacturers increase their retailing effectiveness and profitability. Cobalt provides marketing services to nearly half of the automotive dealerships in the United States, as well as automotive dealers in Canada and Mexico. Cobalt's marketing services are endorsed by two-thirds of the world's major automotive manufacturers.

     Media Contact:
     Amy Hatch
     206-579-7243
     ahatch@cobalt.com