If you've seen some of our recent campaigns at 3 Birds Marketing, you know we've been promoting three simple words: “Change is coming.” More than just a catchphrase, we saw these three words as a promise: to deliver a better way for dealers to market effectively to today's car-buyers.

The 2016 NADA Convention & Expo in Las Vegas gave us the opportunity to deliver on that promise. After three busy days getting to speak with the dealers our solutions were built for, one thing was clear: change is definitely here.

It's incredible to realize that NADA will soon celebrate its 100th anniversary of being the voice of America's auto dealers. At this year's event, it was easy to feel the energy and passion that has helped NADA thrive for nearly a century. For the 3 Birds team, it was also a reminder of why this trade show remains at the top of our list every year.

In many ways, NADA 2016 represented a major milestone in our continuing efforts to put power back in the hands of the dealer. Here are a few themes that characterized the weekend and our conversations with attendees.

The people behind the product matter

"It's great to finally talk with a real person," remarked one guest at our booth. It's no secret that automated responses and 800 numbers have become the norm for marketing vendors, but it's clear that many dealers share our belief in the power of the human element.

This year marked the most significant 3 Birds attendance at the show in company history, giving visitors an opportunity to speak with the Sales, Account, Content, Development, and Analytics team members that design and support our digital solutions. It's not just the diversity of our team that makes us unique; it's the commitment to a shared set of 3 Birds core values and the dedication to continuous improvement for our clients that helps us stand out. And we're not the only ones who think so: many of our current clients actively sought out our booth for the chance to meet their Account Managers in person.

It's not (just) the size of the data that matters--it's how you use it

We frequently hear from dealers who feel overwhelmed when it comes to interpreting and acting on data. It doesn't help that experts have even coined the name "Big Data" for the really intimidating data sets.

At 3 Birds, we're all about balance -- combining substantial, frequently refreshed data sources with the appropriate tools to draw connections and make informed marketing decisions. At NADA 2016, we introduced the latest of these tools: the industry’s first dealer-facing, real-time conquest data configurator incorporating IHS Automotive predictive models.

Partnering with the data authority in the automotive space was a natural complement to our own Predictive Modeling and Lifetime Value Analytics. These solutions help answer the questions we heard dealers asking at the show:

  • What can I learn from my best customers?
  • How can I keep my customers coming back?
  • How should I be allocating my marketing spend?

Dealers are tired of the same old games

One of the most visible trends at the show was the feeling that dealers are ready for something new. The challenges of outdated legacy technology, online reputation management, and spending more time speaking to account managers than selling vehicles are now reaching critical mass, especially as more progressive dealers are racing ahead.

Many dealers have already been searching for solutions to these challenges, but couldn't find a partner that tied it all together…leading into the same old issues of managing multiple vendors with little to show for it. This problem is the reason we founded 3 Birds in the first place, and every new release has been leading us to the groundbreaking marketing and analytics platform introduced at this year's NADA Convention.

At 3 Birds, we emphasize transparency in our marketing and in the results we've been delivering to our clients for years. Our visitors at this year's show responded, making it our most successful NADA ever. Now is the time to see what everyone's been talking about--and to discover the better dealership marketing solution that you deserve. Join the conversation today. 

And if you didn't get a chance to say hello at NADA, don't worry! You'll have a chance at Digital Dealer 21.