RESTON, Va., March 27, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released a study using data from the comScore Ad Metrix service that examines online advertising by auto manufacturers in January 2008. comScore Ad Metrix provides detailed reporting of the number and types of online display ads viewed by Internet users (from both the publisher and advertiser perspectives) for the U.S. market, with January marking the first public release of the advertiser- level data.

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"The introduction of comScore Ad Metrix advertiser-level reporting represents a significant milestone for the online advertising industry," said Alistair Sutcliffe, vice president of comScore Advertising Solutions. "It is a major step towards greater media measurability and accountability and gives advertisers an in-depth view of who they're reaching with their online campaigns."

comScore Ad Metrix measures the number of times each advertisers' ads are viewed and where they are viewed, along with information on the demographics and online behavior of those Internet users being reached. comScore Ad Metrix also provides reach and frequency calculations, samples of the creative ad units delivered, and information on ad sizes.

GM Leads in Online Ads among Auto Manufacturers

General Motors was the top online advertiser among auto manufacturers in January, delivering nearly 1.7 billion total display ad views in the U.S., followed by Toyota (1.4 billion) and Ford Motor Company (1.1 billion). General Motors also led in reach, with approximately 103 million unique individuals receiving their display ads during the month, followed by Ford which reached 95 million people and Toyota which reached 62 million. But, both General Motors and Ford were outmuscled by Toyota in terms of ads delivered per person reached. Toyota delivered a frequency of 22 ads per person during the month, compared to 16 for General Motors and 11 for Ford.

    Top Auto Manufacturer Online Advertisers by Total Display Ad Views
    January 2008
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore Ad Metrix

       Advertiser      Total Display    Share of   Ad-Exposed      Average
                       Ad Views (000)    Voice*      Unique       Frequency
                                                  Visitors (000)

    General Motors       1,687,065        32.8%      102,574         16.4
    Toyota               1,356,782        26.4%       62,428         21.7
    Ford Motor Company   1,075,831        20.9%       94,987         11.3
    Honda                  377,863         7.3%       57,923          6.5
    Nissan                 291,666         5.7%       31,262          9.3
    Chrysler LLC           123,868         2.4%       22,142          5.6
    Hyundai Motors Inc.     95,246         1.9%       16,723          5.7
    Volkswagen              60,498         1.2%        7,126          8.5
    Suzuki Motor
    Corporation             42,491         0.8%        5,389          2.8
    Harley Davidson         35,287         0.7%        6,109          5.8

    *Share of voice among Top 10 advertisers in the category

"GM has really led the auto industry in its use of online advertising," added Mr. Sutcliffe. "And, their recent announcement that half of their $3 billion annual advertising budget would be spent online in the coming years is likely to be a bellwether for many industries. Many traditional advertisers are beginning to understand that the Internet enables them to efficiently build their brands by achieving their demographic reach and frequency goals while at the same time reaching the most attractive, behaviorally-defined target segments. This is a winning recipe for achieving an attractive return on one's advertising investment."

Auto Manufacturers Advertise Heavily on Portals and Auto Resource Sites

The top publisher sites on which auto manufacturers advertise are primarily portals and auto resource sites. Yahoo! Sites (936 million display ad views) and Microsoft Sites (585 million display ad views) deliver the most total impressions for auto manufacturers, and both also deliver significant reach with these impressions.

Auto resource sites also factor prominently into auto manufacturers' online advertising strategies, with AutoTrader (114 million display ad views) and Edmunds.com (98 million display ad views) leading the way. Though these sites have a narrower reach than portals, they represent a desirable and highly targeted audience for auto manufacturers.

    Top Properties where Auto Manufacturer Display Ads Appear
    January 2008
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore Ad Metrix

       Property        Total Display    Share of   Ad-Exposed      Average
                       Ad Views (000)    Voice*      Unique       Frequency
                                                  Visitors (000)

    Yahoo! Sites           935,550        18.0%       72,041         13.0
    Microsoft Sites        584,889        11.2%       39,615         14.8
    Fox Interactive Media  550,288        10.6%       41,660         13.2
    AOL LLC                316,772         6.1%       33,808          9.4
    AutoTrader             113,764         2.2%        3,698         30.8
    Edmunds.com             97,579         1.9%        4,359         22.4
    KBB.com                 83,529         1.6%        4,669         17.9
    eBay                    80,918         1.6%       15,027          5.4
    Time Warner -
     Excl. AOL              53,674         1.0%        8,855          6.1
    Google Sites            50,306         1.0%       16,192          3.1

*Share of voice based on all publisher sites where Auto Manufacturer display ads appear

Toyota Scion xB Has Most Viewed Display Ad among Auto Manufacturers in January

comScore Ad Metrix also provides visibility into aspects of the display ads being viewed, including ad size and file type. The majority of the top 10 auto manufacturer display ads in January were for new model introductions, with the Toyota Scion xB 120 x 240 flash (swf) ad ranking atop the list with 12.6 percent of all display ad views in the category. Honda's "Battle of the Bands" ad ranked second with 2.9 percent, followed by a Chevy Malibu new model ad with a 2.4-percent share.

    Top Online Display Ad (Creatives) among Auto Manufacturers
    January 2008
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore Ad Metrix

                                                                  % of Total
                                                                  Display Ad
                                                                 Views among
                                 Strategy/         Ad Size           Auto
    Company    Make     Model    Promotion        (Pixels)  Type Manufacturers



    Toyota    Scion     xB       New Model
                                  Promotion      120 X 240  swf      12.6%
    Honda     Honda     n/a      Battle of the
                                  Bands          175 X 110  gif       2.9%
    General
     Motors   Chevrolet Malibu   New Model
                                  Promotion      350 X 200  swf       2.4%
    General
     Motors   Saturn    All      All New Models
                                  Promotion      350 X 200  swf       2.2%
    General
     Motors   Chevrolet Malibu   New Model
                                  Promotion      728 X 90   swf       2.1%
    General
     Motors   Chevrolet Malibu   New Model
                                  Promotion      300 X 250  swf       2.0%
    General
     Motors   Chevrolet Malibu   New Model
                                  Promotion      300 X 250  swf       2.0%
    Toyota    Toyota    Sequoia  New Model
                                  Promotion      300 X 250  swf       1.7%
    Toyota    Toyota    n/a      Branding Logo    88 X 31   gif       1.5%
    Honda     Acura     n/a      Certified
                                  Pre-Owned
                                  Vehicles       468 X 60   gif       1.3%

To request more information on comScore Ad Metrix, please visit: http://www.comscore.com/contact

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/boilerplate.

SOURCE comScore, Inc.

http://www.comscore.com

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