Effectv Launches First-Ever Virtual Automotive Showroom on an MVPD
More than a dozen Tier 1 automotive brands are taking part in the free two-month preview on Xfinity X1
New York, May 26, 2020 – Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, today announced the launch of an industry-leading Virtual Automotive Showroom for Tier 1 automotive manufacturers. With this announcement, Effectv is giving automotive makers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic the chance to feature their cars on a full-scale, voice-activated virtual showroom for free on Comcast’s Xfinity X1. In turn, X1 customers have the chance to discover and explore new vehicles on their television, without the need to enter a showroom.
X1 customers can visit the showroom by simply saying “Auto Showroom” into the award-winning Xfinity Voice Remote or by tuning to channel 889, 991, or 989— the channel varies by market. Comcast is the only MVPD offering a virtual showroom of this type for automotive clients, enabling X1 customers to easily peruse video content from participating automotive manufacturers from the safety of their own homes.
“The automotive industry is facing challenges they’ve never seen before,” said Melanie Hamilton, Head of Enterprise Sales for Effectv. “We created the Virtual Automotive Showroom as a way to help Tier 1 automotive brands during this difficult time. Americans still need cars, and what better way is there to learn about the latest vehicles than on the biggest screen in their home.”
The Virtual Automotive Showroom features brand-specific pages housing information and videos organized by vehicle model and make. In addition, there is information available on technology and safety, customer services, community involvement, and more. More than a dozen brands are now featured including Alfa Romeo, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, GMC, Jeep, Mini Cooper, Nissan, Ram, and Volvo.
“At Cadillac, we are always looking for contemporary ways to connect customers to our products, and a purchasing process they can facilitate from the comfort of their own home,” said Melissa Grady, Chief Marketing Officer for Cadillac. “The Auto Showroom allows customers to get deeper product information about our whole lineup, on their terms.”
Effectv is offering the Virtual Automotive Showroom to Tier 1 automotive brands for free for two months starting May 4, 2020 and ending July 4, 2020. It is meant as a show of support for the industry, given that the COVID-19 pandemic has shuttered many in-person showrooms. A robust, full-footprint linear media schedule is promoting the Automotive Showroom to Xfinity customers in May and June including a :30 second call-to-action spot.
The Emmy-award winning X1 platform is now in over 70 percent of Xfinity video customers’ homes, and its voice remote averages nearly 1 billion commands every month. X1 is Comcast’s flagship entertainment platform for Xfinity TV customers that seamlessly blends programming from broadcast, cable and premium networks, along with a growing collection of streaming partners into one, content-first user experience.
While the Virtual Automotive Showroom is being offered currently to only Tier 1 automotive brands for a two-month period, Effectv is exploring ways to extend and enhance the platform in the future. Automotive brands who are interested in participating can visit www.effectv.com/AutoShowroom to learn more.
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About Effectv
Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps local, regional and national advertisers use the best of digital with the power of TV to grow their business. It provides multi-screen marketing solutions to make advertising campaigns more effective and easier to execute. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Effectv has a presence in 60+ markets with nearly 35 million owned and represented subscribers. For more information, visit www.effectv.com.
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