Chicago—February 1, 2010—Cars.com, the leading online destination for car shoppers, will debut the latest ad in its award-winning ‘Confidence’ campaign during Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010. The all-new 60-second spot, “With Knowledge Comes Confidence,” illustrates how Cars.com delivers the knowledge car shoppers need to confidently purchase a car.
Keeping with its 2009 Super Bowl ad which featured the epic life story of David Abernathy, the new ad will tell the life story of characterTimothy Richman, who approaches every situation confidently. Beginning with a scene in which Timothy as a toddler puts out a grease fire from his highchair, the narrative spot takes viewers through various events in his life that show how Timothy’s knowledge gives him that confidence. From helping a damsel on the beach suffering from a jellyfish sting, to delivering a breached Bengal cub while on safari, Timothy’s knowledge often saves the day. When it comes time to buy a car, Timothy turns to Cars.com to get the knowledge he needs to build his confidence, so he can get the perfect car at the perfect price. The ad closes with Cars.com’s tagline, “Confidence Comes Standard.”
“Cars.com’s 2009 Super Bowl commercial was extremely effective at communicating our brand’s key messages to consumers. In addition to being very likeable and well-received by consumers, it was also the most successful commercial we’ve ever produced in achieving key brand-building metrics,” said Cars.com vice president of marketing Carolyn Crafts. “Given its success, we wanted to continue the campaign for 2010, but with a fresh approach to give consumers something new for this year’s Big Game. Timothy Richman is a powerful character that brings to life the power of knowledge and benefit of using our site, which delivers all of the information, tools and advice shoppers need to decide what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car.”
This is the third consecutive year that Cars.com will advertise in the Big Game, using its appearance to kickoff its 2010 marketing campaign. The new commercial will run all month long on popular ESPN programming, including “Pardon the Interruption” and “NFL Live”, as well as NBA and NCAA basketball games. An integrated online campaign featuring exclusive web videos will also go live following the game with home page takeovers of ESPN.com, CNN.com, CBSSports.com, YouTube and Yahoo! Cars.com will also boost its Super Bowl presence with pre and post game SEM campaign and mobile advertising. Additional exposure will come from Cars.com’s extensive network of local broadcast and news partners who will support the campaign locally in print and online.
The commercial is produced by DDB Chicago and directed by Craig Gillespie, who also directed Cars.com’s acclaimed David Abernathy spot. The complete ad and exclusive web videos can be seen in advance of the game atwww.cars.com/superbowl.
“The Super Bowl has been a proven brand-builder for Cars.com,” added Crafts. “Our presence in each of the past two years has paid off, exposing our brand to record audiences and building awareness of the site and service we offer to car shoppers. It is a smart investment that supports our strategy, and works to grow our business and that of our customers.”
About Cars.com
Cars.comis the leading destination for online car shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions.
Launched in June 1998,Cars.comis a division ofClassified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).
