Data-powered, automated marketing platform offers five key breakthrough ‘total retention’ weapons: Direct Behavioral Targeting, Mid-Interval Communications, Loyalty, Pre-paid Maintenance, and Mobile; offers new era marketing directed at today’s service realities

Daytona Beach, FL – September 10, 2013 – DMEautomotive (DMEa), the science-inspired, results-based automotive marketing leader, today introduced Journey NXT, the auto industry’s only retention marketing solution that targets the realities of today’s service customer, and gives dealers and OEMs the tools they need to pursue a strategy of Total Customer Retention.

Built on a platform that combines DMEa direct consumer and industry research with the latest technology advances, Journey NXT offers an automated platform that delivers 5 key retention weapons: Direct Behavioral Targeting, auto[mobile]™, Mid-Interval Communications, Loyalty, and support for marketing to owners of Pre-paid Maintenance Plans.

“Service customer behavior has changed drastically and, as a result, the average service interval has increased over the past year to 145 days from 140, costing dealers, on average, approximately $91,000 a year. Yesterday’s vehicle-based service reminder program is now a failed strategy, which is why we developed Journey NXT,” said DMEa CEO Mike Walther. “Journey NXT gives our industry the tools they need to achieve total customer retention. This means first transitioning sales customers to service customers, and then those service customers into long-term repeat service customers who purchase their next car at that dealership. And this can only be accomplished with new era technology and techniques, and by marketing to the customer and how they behave, not to the vehicle.”

Walther noted that today’s consumers are driving fewer miles, keeping their cars longer, and researching more which is costing U.S. dealerships hundreds of millions of dollars in lost service revenue annually.

Unlike any other retention-marketing platform, Journey NXT is built around the unique behaviors of each specific consumer for each individual dealer. NXT is able to communicate to each customer, powerfully and efficiently, keeping that customer close when servicing and buying. NXT helps achieve “total customer retention” because of its “5 Pillars,” powerful marketing weapons that offer consumers distinct benefits – and all of which are backed by rigorous consumer research.

Journey NXT’s 5 Pillars:

1. Direct Behavioral Targeting™ – Segments and then targets a dealership’s or auto service provider’s loyalists, disloyalists and swing loyalists; customers receive communications based on their exact, individual buying behavior and loyalty, increasing revenue, reducing overall costs, and eliminating the clutter of non-relevant, low-converting communications.
2. auto[mobile]™ – A suite of mobile marketing technologies including DMEa’s market leading Driver Connect dealer branded mobile app, and Responsive Email Design (RED), a mobile email marketing technology that increases email open and click thru rates by automatically reformatting emails to optimally display on the device being used to read the email.
3. Mid-Interval Communications – Powered by predictive technology developed by DMEa, mid-interval communications help reduce service intervals, avoid customer defection, and increase service revenues by identifying and communicating to customers who are likely in the market for big ticket customer pay items.
4. Loyalty – A turn-key loyalty program for dealers without the hassle of time-consuming in-store applications or cards. Integrated with Journey NXT and Driver Connect.
5. Prepaid Maintenance Programs – DMEa research shows that fifty-six percent of consumers who use PPMs are likely to keep servicing at the dealership even after the plan expires; that percentage jumps to 72% for millennials.  NXT offers marketing specifically targeted to remind these highly valuable PPM customers to use their program, ramping up retention and loyalty.

Powerful Insights, Robust Analytics

Journey NXT is supported by DMEinsights, which generates comprehensive analytics for every stage of the auto service customer lifecycle, providing the foundational knowledge to not only help Journey NXT customers build sustainable customer loyalty, but to quickly and accurately gauge, and act on, customer retention performance.

Journey NXT is available immediately.

About DMEautomotive 

DMEautomotive (DMEa) is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. 

DMEa does not take marketing performance on faith, and each product and service is measured by a simple, precise scientific approach: Is it true? Prove it. Will it work? Test it. Does it generate results? Show it! Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Contact: 
Media Relations 
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Elizabeth Johnson, mWEBB Communications, (213) 713-4865, elizabeth@mwebbcom.com