Advance Automotive to Launch Catalyst IQ, a Marketing Tech Agency Fueled by Real-Time Data, Artificial Intelligence and Human Insights
Catalyst IQ Combines Existing Advance Automotive Companies Adpearance, Fox Dealer, Search Optics, and ZeroSum to Supercharge Dealer Marketing and Advertising
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Advance Automotive, a division of Advance Local, announced today it will launch Catalyst IQ, a comprehensive automotive marketing technology company formed by uniting four of Advance Automotive's industry leading companies: Adpearance, Fox Dealer, Search Optics, and ZeroSum. Combined, these entities serve 1,300 Tier 3 customers.
Catalyst IQ will serve as a certified digital marketing provider for 22 Tier 3 OEM programs and deliver cutting-edge solutions for regional associations and OEMs. The official launch is scheduled for January 7, 2026.
Catalyst IQ will bring together the best of data science, AI-driven insights, digital advertising, advanced website development, lead capture and nurture, SEO/AEO strategies, and human expertise—delivering a unified SaaS solution that accelerates sales and marketing performance.
Catalyst IQ combines the following complementary strengths from each entity:
- Adpearance: Full-service digital marketing expertise, premium tracking capabilities, and integrated SEO/AEO.
- Fox Dealer: Enterprise-level website development with rapid deployment, and Fox Engage, a lead capture and nurture platform that leverages first-party data for personalized shopper engagement.
- Search Optics: Scalable AI-driven marketing solutions and integrated SEO/AEO.
- ZeroSum: Advanced data science and predictive modeling for automotive market intelligence.
"Catalyst IQ will bring automotive dealers smarter, faster, more comprehensive digital marketing solutions," said Andy Lobred, President of Advance Automotive and Catalyst IQ. "Automotive intelligence isn't static. It evolves. For the past decade, we have perfected the art and science of automotive data. Through Catalyst IQ, we will help our clients not just keep pace with innovation, but lead it."
Catalyst IQ is powered by MarketAI®, Advance Automotive's proprietary intelligence engine. MarketAI tracks nearly 20,000 franchise dealers and 99% of independents nationwide, indexing over 1.5 billion Vehicle Detail Pages since 2014. This gives Catalyst IQ unmatched visibility into market dynamics.
"MarketAI is a dealer's competitive edge in a fast-moving market," Lobred said. "It delivers speed, precision and measurable impact at scale for each tier in the auto industry. We are leveraging multiple state-of-the-art technologies to create a transparent and efficient marketing road map to supercharge dealer and OEM sales."
About Advance Automotive
Created in 2017, Advance Automotive is a portfolio of automotive, technology, marketing, data, and software businesses providing AI-driven marketing solutions in the automotive industry. Advance Automotive includes independently operated agencies, Adpearance, Fox Dealer, Search Optics and ZeroSum, as well as data and analytics from Cloud Theory and Hoot Interactive. Advance Automotive is part of Advance Local, a key unit of Advance, a privately held company founded in 1922.
Advance's portfolio of exceptional companies includes:
- Condé Nast
- Advance Local
- Stage Entertainment
- The IRONMAN Group
- American City Business Journals (ACBJ)
- Leaders Group
- Turnitin
- POP
Contact:
Mike DeVilling
(248) 875-4207
SOURCE Catalyst IQ
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