Automotive consumers have been asking for change for a long time. Changes that improve how they shop, how they buy and, most importantly, their overall experience and satisfaction. Instead of selling through their customer base year after year, smart dealerships have been listening to their guests.

Each fall J.D. Power and Associates hosts an Automotive Internet Roundtable that brings together industry experts and thought leaders to discuss how the Internet can be better leveraged to market and sell more cars.

Automotive marketing sits at a crossroads. As if macroeconomic conditions weren’t enough of a challenge, key media channels like TV are being subjected to radical transformation, including viewer fragmentation, ad avoidance behavior and fundamental shifts in the business models of all sides of the ecosystem. Auto marketers have historically been quick to embrace new advertising opportunities and, true to form, many have begun experimenting with our topic today: dynamic and personalized video.

Many companies wrestle with what sort of communications channels to provide their employees and may consider anything other than email a waste of their employees’ time. Company executives visiting a social-networking space for their employees have been known to complain about the potential for diminished productivity. “Can we bury that thing?” is a common design suggestion.

YouTube visitors flipping through automotive-related video clips who come across a made-for-digital dealer advertisement may be surprised at what they see. Common preconceptions would immediately draw parallels to the 1980’s spots for electronics purveyor Crazy Eddie that featured radio DJ Jerry Carroll, or some other overly caffeinated character, screaming in your face.  Not a pretty thought.  But then again, neither is the state of the U.S. automotive industry today.  With U.S. auto sales at their lowest levels in 15 years and with Annette Sykora, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, warning last week that up to 700 dealers nationally could close their doors by the end of year, OEMs and dealers alike are looking for the most efficient ways to connect with consumers and, let’s face it, move metal.