Kelley Blue Book Launches First National Consumer Advertising Campaign

IRVINE, Calif., July 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, for the first time in the company's 86-year history, Kelley Blue Book launches a national television advertising campaign in an effort to leverage the brand's strength and recognition as a vehicle valuation pioneer and leader for new-car shopping and research.  Following the introduction of radio ads that began airing in early 2012, Kelley Blue Book now expands its inaugural consumer marketing campaign to include national television advertising, while also unveiling the first official modernization of its widely recognized and trusted seal logo.

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Kelley Blue Book's far-reaching media buy is aimed at evolving brand perceptions with the message that KBB.com, the pioneer and authority in vehicle valuations, also is a leading new-car resource offering shoppers the comprehensive tools they need to make a smart purchase decision.  Together with the company's radio campaign, the 30- and 60-second TV spots are expected to reach 189 million people while airing on a variety of stations as part of a comprehensive media buy extending into Q4 2012, including the 2012 Summer Olympics on DirecTV and on channels such as CNN, Fox News, ESPN, MTV, TNT, History, Comedy Central and the Food Network.

"The new TV campaign is a natural evolution in communicating our industry leadership position, and it is representative of Kelley Blue Book's new relentless approach to integrated consumer marketing efforts," said Jared Rowe, president, Kelley Blue Book.  "With our new TV ads, we are aggressively targeting new-car shoppers ages 18-49 with a substantial media buy, aimed at showcasing all of the helpful new-car shopping and research information we have available at KBB.com.  Kelley Blue Book is an iconic brand name with a longstanding reputation built on decades of providing objective and reliable vehicle valuations and vital car-shopping insights to consumers, dealers, finance and insurance companies, and government agencies."

Working with advertising agency Doner out of Detroit, KBB.com's television campaign, called 'Projection,' utilizes the latest 3D Projection Mapping technology.  Kelley Blue Book's technologically advanced ad drives home the company's mantra in the new tagline, "everything you need to make a smart new-car decision," and focuses on three new-car shopping tools expected to change the way consumers shop for a new car.  Available on KBB.com, these tools include:

• Fair Purchase Price:  Down to the specific make and model, KBB.com's Fair Purchase Price shows you the average price others in your area paid for the same car based on actual transaction data updated each week. Fair Purchase Price details
• 5-Year Cost-to-Own:  KBB.com's 5-Year Cost-to-Own data provides a realistic picture of the costs a consumer can expect to incur today and throughout a five-year vehicle ownership period, including out-of-pocket costs like insurance, maintenance and gas. 5-Year Cost-to-Own details
• Consumer and Expert Reviews and Ratings:  KBB.com features one of the auto industry's most robust collections of consumer reviews and ratings along with expert reviews and ratings from KBB.com's seasoned editorial staff.  Together, consumers can get a full picture of what it is like to own the car they are considering. Consumer and Expert Reviews and Ratings details

"The Kelley Blue Book brand has one of the most storied histories in the automotive space," said Clark Wood, chief marketing officer of AutoTrader Group, Kelley Blue Book's parent company.  "This campaign will help transform consumer perceptions of KBB.com while demonstrating the powerful tools available to help new-car shoppers make more informed buying decisions."

As a key element of Kelley Blue Book's first consumer marketing campaign, the company's historic logo receives its first official update after spending decades as a symbol of authority and trust among both consumers and the auto industry.  Research teams executed comprehensive studies to better understand how consumers felt about the current Kelley Blue Book seal as well as newer logo concepts.  Additionally, the team focused on updating the constituent parts of the seal to support the company's role in authenticating new kinds of information, products and services beyond pricing, in an effort to carry Kelley Blue Book far into the future.

"As we worked through the process of evolving the logo, it was critical that we maintained elements of the iconic seal and ribbon that had strong equity and connotations of quality, authority, approval and trust.  It also was important to choose a design that resonated with consumers and supported the growth and extension of our products over time," said Rowe.  "This is just the first step in re-imagining Kelley Blue Book, starting with a new modernized and contemporized logo design that brings a fresh and innovative feel to the company overall."

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), or like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb, and get updates on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/114407011985343857500.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the industry.  Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website www.kbb.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Suggested Retail Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week.  The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies as well as governmental agencies.  KBB.com provides consumer pricing and information on cars for sale, minivans, pickup trucks, sedan, hybrids, electric cars, and SUVs.  Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity and was named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year by the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study.  Kelley Blue Book Co. Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com.

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book