Then and Now - A Glimpse into the Future

Over the past 50 years, marketing and advertising have undergone remarkable transformations. Let’s take a brief journey through the decades and explore what lies ahead for 2024.

1970s: The TV Takeover

The ‘70s saw the rise of television advertising. Catchy jingles, memorable slogans, and captivating commercials captured audiences.

1980s: Direct & Personalized

The ‘80s introduced direct marketing and database marketing. Marketers used customer data for more personalized messaging.

1990s: The Digital Revolution

The ‘90s marked the dawn of digital marketing. Websites, emails, and banner ads opened new avenues to reach diverse audiences.

2000s: Social Media & Mobile 

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter surged in the 2000s. Marketers leveraged these to engage consumers. Mobile marketing rose with smartphone adoption.

2010s: Data-Driven Personalization 

The 2010s brought data-driven marketing, powered by analytics, AI, and machine learning. Personalized experiences and targeted campaigns became standard.

2020s: Omnichannel & Consumer Experiences 

In the current decade, marketers aim for seamless, omnichannel experiences. Customer engagement and personalized interactions take center stage. 

2024: Upcoming Trends

Now, what can we expect in 2024?

  • First-Party Data: Privacy concerns make first-party data essential for personalized campaigns. 

  • AI-Powered Marketing: AI continues to transform marketing, automating tasks, analyzing data, and enhancing personalized experiences. 

  • Video Dominance: Video marketing remains strong, especially live streaming for immersive content. 

  • Social commerce: Shopping via social media becomes even more streamlined. 

  • Brand Purpose: Consumers seek brands with social responsibility and authenticity. 

  • Privacy-Centric: Privacy protection becomes crucial with transparent data practices. 

  • Streaming and CTV: The shift to streaming and Connected TV advertising continues offering new opportunities.

The marketing landscape keeps evolving, and staying ahead means adapting to new technologies, strategies, and customer expectations. Embrace these trends to build stronger brand connections, drive growth, and continue to stay competitive in 2024 and beyond!

Thriving in the Evolving Automotive Landscape of 2024

The automotive industry is adapting to new dynamics in 2024, signaling opportunities for change and innovation. With the post-pandemic surge in demand balancing out, customers are now benefiting from a broader range of options, thanks to revitalized supply chains. Although higher interest rates are influencing vehicle financing, this has ushered in attractive discounts for customers, invigorating dealership competition and presenting customers with great deals. The current surplus supply hints at potential market adjustments, but also offers room for strategic planning. Amidst global uncertainties, consumers have a rich landscape to navigate. McKinsey & Company highlights that while growth may be moderating to 2.4% from 2019 to 2030, it's still a testament to the resilience and potential of the industry when compared to the 3.6% of the previous decade.

To excel amidst these changes, dealerships can adapt and employ effective strategies: 

Inventory Management: Maintain inventory matching market demand, tracking sales trends, avoiding overstocking on slow moving vehicles, and controlling associated costs such as storage and financing expenses.

Customer Service: Prioritize customer satisfaction, hire knowledgeable staff, and ensure hassle-free buying experiences, fostering loyalty.

Digital Marketing: Build a strong online presence through user-friendly websites, social media engagement, and SEO to reach potential customers.

Efficient Processes: Streamline operations, reduce turnaround times, and establish clear communication channels between departments.

Employee Training: Invest in staff training and development to keep them equipped with necessary skills and knowledge.

In summary, 2024 brings challenges, but dealerships can thrive by focusing on effective inventory management, top-notch customer service, digital marketing, streamlined processes, and employee development.

CarGurus’ Mid-Year Intelligence Report

As we delve into the second half of the year, they took a closer look at the key trends that have shaped the market so far. From the performance of the US economy to the surge in electric vehicles (EV) and the shifting dynamics of used vehicle prices and inventory, this report provides valuable insights into the ever-evolving automotive landscape. Check out CarGurus’ mid-year intelligence report to see the driving forces behind these trends and gain a deeper understanding of the industry’s current state!

5 Key Dominating Digital Marketing Trends in 2023 So Far

In the rapidly evolving automotive industry, the landscape of digital marketing is undergoing significant transformations fueled by emerging technologies and shifting consumer behaviors. Just as history has shown, digital marketing in the automotive sector is ever-evolving, and those who can adapt to these changes are the ones who thrive. To craft a successful digital marketing strategy for the future, it becomes crucial for automotive businesses to understand the current trends that have been dominating 2023 so far. Here are five key trends in digital marketing that automotive companies should carefully consider now that we are halfway through the year:

Virtual reality and augmented reality experiences: 

Virtual reality and augmented reality are revolutionizing how automotive companies engage with their customers. Offering captivating and immersive experiences, VR allows potential car buyers to virtually explore various car models, step inside the vehicles, and closely inspect their features. On the other hand, AR seamlessly blends digital content with the real world, enabling customers to see how their desired cars would look in their driveways or garages. By implementing these cutting-edge technologies, automotive businesses can enhance customer engagement, increase interest in their car models, and ultimately boost sales.


Leveraging Generative AI Tools for Personalization:

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought valuable opportunities for automotive marketers to achieve more in less time. Generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be utilized to personalize interactions with potential car buyers. AI-powered chatbots can engage in real-time conversations with customers, addressing their queries, providing personalized recommendations, and assisting them throughout their car-buying journey. By incorporating AI-driven personalization, automotive companies can improve customer satisfaction and drive more conversions.

Embracing Social Commerce and Seamless Purchasing: 

Social commerce has become a dynamic approach for automotive businesses to integrate shopping with social interactions. Leveraging user-generated content such as authentic customer reviews and engaging videos showcasing car experiences, companies can create emotional connections with potential buyers directly on social media platforms. This approach allows customers to ask questions, seek advice, and engage with the brand, leading to increased confidence in their purchase decisions and facilitating seamless car sales.

Optimizing for Voice Search and AI Virtual Assistants: 

The rise of voice search, fueled by AI virtual assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, has significantly impacted how consumers search for automotive information. To optimize for voice search, automotive companies must anticipate conversational queries relevant to their car models and provide concise, informative responses. By securing top positions in voice search results, business can increase their visibility and reach potential car buyers who prefer voice-based interactions.

Emphasizing Conversational Marketing for Real-Time Engagement 

Conversational marketing has become a crucial trend in the automotive industry, enabling real-time engagement with potential customers. Leveraging chatbots, live chat, and messaging apps, automotive businesses can actively interact with customers, answer their questions, and provide personalized recommendations. This approach enhances the customer experience, nurtures stronger connections, and generates high-quality leads. Adopting chatbots for conversational marketing proves to be a valuable investment, as routine queries can be promptly addressed, saving time and enhancing customer satisfaction.

As the automotive industry continues to evolve, digital marketing remains a pivotal factor in driving success and growth. By embracing these trends and capitalizing on emerging technologies, automotive companies can elevate their marketing strategies, improve customer engagement, and thrive in the competitive digital landscape.

Revolutionize Your Dealership's Vehicle Listings with Vin Driver.AI: The Future of Automotive Chat GPT

Discover the power of Vin Driver.AI and transform your dealership's inventory management and vehicle listings with unique, AI-generated descriptions.

In the highly competitive automotive industry, standing out from the crowd is more crucial than ever. With many dealers using digital platforms like Autotrader and Cars.com, dealerships must find innovative ways to showcase their inventory and attract potential buyers. That's where Vin Driver.AI comes in. As the first of its kind in the industry, our cutting-edge product uses advanced GPT technology to generate unique and engaging vehicle descriptions for your entire inventory, saving you time and effort while optimizing your online presence.

Introducing Vin Driver.AI:

Vin Driver.AI is a groundbreaking tool designed specifically for the automotive industry. By leveraging the power of GPT technology, it takes your dealership's inventory feed and automatically generates well-written, unique vehicle descriptions. These descriptions can be seamlessly syndicated to your dealership's website and third-party platforms such as Autotrader and Cars.com.

Benefits of Vin Driver.AI:

Save Time and Effort: Vin Driver.AI eliminates the need for manual description writing, freeing up your sales team to focus on more valuable tasks, like building relationships with customers and closing deals.

Stand Out from the Competition: With unique, AI-generated descriptions, your vehicle listings will be more engaging and informative, giving you a competitive edge in the market.

Improve SEO: By using relevant keywords and creating high-quality content, Vin Driver.AI helps your vehicle listings rank higher in search results, driving more organic traffic to your website and third-party listings.

Easy Integration: Vin Driver.AI easily integrates with your existing inventory management system, making it simple to implement and use.

Early Enrollment:

Vin Driver.AI is launching soon, and we're excited to announce that we're taking early enrollment  for dealerships interested in being the first to experience this game-changing technology. By joining the waitlist, upon launching, your dealership will have first access to Vin Driver.AI and , your dealership will be among the pioneers in the automotive industry to harness the power of AI-generated vehicle descriptions. To access the open enrollment please click here and someone on our team will reach out to you about next steps. 


In the fast-paced, ever-evolving automotive industry, staying ahead of the competition is key to success. With Vin Driver.AI, you'll not only save time and effort but also revolutionize your dealership's online presence with unique, engaging vehicle descriptions. Don't miss your chance to be a part of this groundbreaking movement – join our waitlist today and transform your inventory management with Vin Driver.AI.

IMOS Consulting On Inc. 5000 List After Staggering 265% Growth

The Balistreri Legacy: Innovating the Automotive Industry Through Technology

Discover the inspiring story of the Balistreri family, a lineage of tech-savvy individuals shaping the automotive landscape with their expertise. From Frank Balistreri's early days at Apple Computer and founding a software company in Silicon Valley to his daughters' pivotal roles in revolutionizing the digital presence of auto dealerships, their passion for technology and innovation is deeply ingrained. Check out this article to explore how IMOS Consulting, has become a driving force in providing cutting-edge technical services to dealerships, empowering them with a competitive edge in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing.

ChatGPT: The AI Chatbot That’s Changing Conversations and Digital Marketing

ChatGPT is a buzzword that's on everyone's lips these days. If you're not familiar with it, ChatGPT is an AI-driven natural language processing tool that can hold human-like conversations and assist you with various tasks, including composing emails, essays, and code.

But just how big of a deal is ChatGPT? According to Elon Musk, co-founder of OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT), it's "scary good" and could represent a major step towards dangerously strong AI. Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief, has also noted that the chatbot had over a million users within the first five days of its launch.

But perhaps the most significant indication of ChatGPT's impact comes from an analysis done by Swiss bank UBS, which claims that the chatbot is the fastest-growing app of all time. It estimates that ChatGPT had 100 million active users in January, just two months after its launch. To put that into perspective, it took TikTok nine months to reach the same milestone.

So how can you access ChatGPT? It's simple – just visit chat.openai.com and create an OpenAI account. Once you sign in, you can start chatting away with ChatGPT, and because it's still in the research stage, it's currently free to use.

But that's not all. ChatGPT is also making its way into the social media space, starting with a collaboration with Snapchat. The feature, called "My AI," allows Snapchat+ subscribers to chat with the bot within the app. However, ChatGPT's responses are limited – it won't provide answers about politics, violence, swearing, or academic essay writing.

In the spirit of exploring ChatGPT's capabilities, we asked the chatbot to predict the top five digital marketing trends for 2023. Here's what it had to say:

  1. AI and Machine Learning: AI and machine learning are set to transform the world of digital marketing. As these technologies become more prevalent, we can expect to see more sophisticated marketing automation, chatbots, and predictive analytics.

  2. Voice Search Optimization: Voice search has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and it's set to become even more prevalent in 2023. Marketers will need to optimize their content for voice search queries by creating content that answers questions directly and using natural language in their copy.

  3. Influencer Marketing: Influencer marketing has become a key part of many digital marketing campaigns and is set to continue in 2023. Brands will increasingly partner with micro-influencers and nano-influencers who have smaller, highly engaged audiences.

  4. Social Media Stories: Social media stories, like those on Instagram and Snapchat, have become an essential part of many digital marketing campaigns. In 2023, we can expect to see more brands embracing social media stories as a way to reach younger audiences.

  5. Video Marketing: Video marketing has been growing in popularity over the past few years, and it's set to continue in 2023. As video production becomes more accessible, we can expect to see more brands using video marketing to tell their stories and connect with their audiences.

In conclusion, ChatGPT is a game-changing AI tool that's transforming the way we communicate and interact with technology. And with its predictions for the top digital marketing trends in 2023, it's clear that ChatGPT has its finger on the pulse of the industry. Whether you're a marketer, a business owner, or just someone who loves technology, ChatGPT is definitely a tool to keep an eye on.

5 Trends That Will Transform Auto In The Next 5 Years

In the next five years, the automotive industry is set to undergo a significant transformation that will revolutionize the driving experience. This transformation is driven by innovation in automotive software, and five key trends will shape the industry's future. Here are five trends that will transform the auto industry in the next five years.

Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs)

In the near future, cars will be software-defined vehicles controlled by software. SDVs will be known for their user experience rather than their physical attributes, and software will create a direct connection between car manufacturers and customers. This connection will enable platform-driven auto businesses that seamlessly deliver personalized services to customers via their vehicles. In the future, the software in a vehicle will be as important as its logo.

Renewal and On-Demand Upgrades

SDVs that are connected to the web will evolve the same way as smartphones, with regular software updates. Many automakers are already experimenting with on-demand services that flow as software to users. BMW delivers downloadable updates via the MY BMW App or the SIM card built into the vehicle. Volvo offers customers over-the-air (OTA) software updates sent directly to their vehicles in two phases: a download phase when the car is in use and installation when the car is not in use. Some car companies are looking to monetize software upgrades, such as Mercedes, which introduced an annual subscription service to unlock enhanced performance in some of their cars.

Car Ownership for Gen Z

With the changing ways people live and work, owning a car may soon look very different, especially for Gen Z. Many Gen Zs want the convenience of a car without the traditional ownership model. The future of car ownership may involve paying for a vehicle only when you need one through a subscription model, car sharing, or peer-to-peer rental service. SDVs with on-demand and remote control features lend themselves to this type of service. Several car manufacturers are experimenting with car subscription models, including Audi, Lexus, Nissan, Porsche, and Volvo. Many third-party companies also offer subscription services, like car rental companies.

Predictive Maintenance

The connectivity built into cars will be used to transmit real-time vehicle diagnostics as part of the Internet of Things. This technology will be used to predict maintenance schedules and alert the dealership, mechanics, and manufacturers of potential issues before they occur. With feedback from advanced analytics powered by AI, the car will flag maintenance issues and share them with relevant parties. This way, the mechanics know ahead of time and can order the necessary parts. Data from individual cars will be aggregated into a manufacturer's errors and maintenance log, allowing them to more accurately spot trends and identify issues earlier in the lifecycle of a vehicle.

Hydrogen-Powered Electric Vehicles

Future electric vehicles may be fueled by hydrogen, providing a viable alternative to address the rising cost of EV batteries, long waiting times for cars and parts, and issues with scaling recharging infrastructure. Initial tests have shown promising results at Germany's DLR Institute for Vehicle Concepts, and it's a technology that could significantly reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability.

The evolution of the software-defined vehicle is set to bring exciting changes to the automotive industry. From how cars are designed and built, to how individuals use and service them, and how they interact with the ever-expanding automotive ecosystem. The next five years are sure to be a transformative time for the auto industry.

Spotify Wrapped: What Marketers can Learn From the Viral Campaign

The end of the year is a time of reflection. The time when people buy planners, get gym memberships, and write holiday letters recapping the year. This is the backdrop that makes Spotify Wrapped so successful. Spotify is able to provide users with the soundtrack that got them through the year. For users, Spotify wrapped is another way to share who they are and what they like with their friends and followers while also giving Spotify global viral marketing in exchange. Every year it gets bigger and bigger with massive engagement online. For instance there were 425,000,000 tweets about Spotify wrapped in the first 3 days after the launch this year. Their unique combination of personalization, share-ability, and seasonality is hitting the right spot with their audience. 

What Marketers Can Learn From Spotify Wrapped:

  1. Sharing is caring - Spotify Wrapped is extremely easy to share with friends and on your socials. Creating personalized content that your audience wants to share is a winning strategy. Give your audience a conversation to join and the engagement will follow.

  2. Rinse and repeat - Although Spotify wrapped generally stays the same every year. The annual campaign at the end of the year creates a sense of ritual. Everyone looks forward to when it will be coming out and seeing who their top artists and songs were for the year. Give your audience something to look forward to with ritualized content. 

  3. Join in on the fun - Creating brand specific versions of popular content is a great way to join the conversation. Guinness Beer built out brand specific content using the Wrapped format to engage with their audience.

IMOS Annual Ritual:

Here at IMOS every year around the holidays we create IMOS themed gift boxes. They have become a big hit and those who have received them in the past have always expressed excitement to see what we come up with for the next year. Looking forward we want to try to emulate Spotify Wrapped and create an end of year stylized report with catchy graphics and music to show our performance from the year!

The Future of Advertising

What’s Hot

Short-form video: TikToks, Reels, etc. 91%surveyed by DigitalMarketer.com said this will be bigger than it currently is.

Email marketing: 57% surveyed said email will be a bigger deal in the next 12-18 months 

Youtube ads: 56% surveyed said these will be a big deal over the next 12-18 months

Honorable Mentions: AI for copywriting and design, paid communities, influencers, and sell-by-chat / SMS marketing

What’s Not 

One-Touch Conversions: 43% said one touch conversions, which are the idea that somebody will arrive at your website and buy on first visit. This is becoming less common as sale cycles are beginning to be longer. 

Organic Social: 34% surveyed said organic social because all these things have gotten much harder to do now 

Honorable Mentions: Facebook groups, chatbots, influencers (marketers aren’t sure where they will land in the coming months)

Big Trends We Are Seeing Now

Subsidized customer acquisition cost (CAC) is dead: No longer is CAC being subsidized by big social media companies. Reality is, it just costs more to acquire customers now. For example, in 1999 on google organic you could rank on the first page of google just by keyword stuffing a bunch of keywords in the bottom of the page. Then it became harder when you had to buy clicks. Then Facebook ads came out and they were dirt cheap. The trend has always been that it is easy in the beginning and then it gets harder and more expensive. It was less expensive because these big companies were subsidizing our customer acquisition costs. The big new media companies (Google, Meta, TikTok) have been subsidizing our customer acquisition costs but the reality is to acquire a customer just costs more than what most of us have had to invest. 

Sales cycles are expanding: Consumers are still spending but they are taking longer to make buying decisions. They stay in the research stage of the purchasing cycle for even longer now.

What We Should Be Doing For 2023 

Emails - time to make email social again. Start having conversation based emails to insight interaction. Email used to be our primary way of online conversation so it is time to switch back to this. Try to optimize for the conversation instead of the conversion. Change call to actions to reply to the email. Do this by making your CTA a question that a consumer would naturally respond to. Write casually like you would to a friend, short and choppy.

If you aren’t already doing this type of digital advertising, talk to us and see how our social driver package can help you start using short videos, emails, and youtube ads or try our CRM driver, which incorporates making emails social again by having a conversational tone!