AdTorque Edge teams up with Trade Me

Car dealers are set to benefit from a strategic partnership between Trade Me and AdTorque Edge. It will give registered motor-vehicle traders access to a wealth of data across various advertising platforms.

Alan Clark, head of motors at Trade Me, says the partnership means dealers will have the opportunity to target his company’s audience via different platforms, such as Google and Facebook.

“We’ve been aware of the great work AdTorque Edge has been doing in Australia, where the company is well-established,” Clark told Autofile Online. “It’s serving some of the same customers here in New Zealand that we are and we’ve been impressed by what we’ve seen.

“We thought about what could happen if we joined forces, so we’ve combined their expertise and marketing with ours. We will be able to better understand dealers’ needs across the two companies. Together we can ensure their needs are fulfilled.

“The most tangible benefit will be AdTorque Edge’s ability to use Trade Me’s data to better target advertisers so dealers can be more efficient in targeting people in the market who are looking to buy a car right now.”

Todd Fuller, general manager of AdTorque Edge, believes the partnership provides New Zealand’s car dealers with the chance to leverage the full value of his company’s and Trade Me’s product offerings.

“As New Zealand’s biggest motor-vehicle classifieds website, no other platform can provide a more targeted automotive audience,” says Fuller. “Now dealers can target that audience across the country’s biggest advertising platform.

“This is an excellent opportunity for dealerships to target the strong ‘intendor’ audience Trade Me has across multiple platforms and ensure more effective targeting throughout the consumer’s path to conversion.”

Fuller told Autofile Online that both companies have put in the hard yards on the new partnership over the past six months.

“It’s been a lot of work in getting it come to fruition, but worth it,” he says. “It opens us up to do things other people cannot do in that we’re now able to get data and audience segments from Trade Me, and then put this data out across Google and Facebook.

“This process will allow car dealers’ advertising dollars to be spent in the right place and get it to their intended audiences. If someone is looking for a Mitsubishi Triton, we can send out adverts to that person for that model in the range required.

“Basically, traders can now spend their money on people they know are in the market for cars. It all means dealerships will be spending their dollars in the right place. They will be getting an audience that’s a lot more targeted as well as more inquiries from the dollars they are spending.”

The strategic partnership means Trade Me can determine if a would-be buyer is looking at a product, explains Fuller, which would be followed by a “four-legged call” with Trade Me and AdTorque Edge establishing a brief for the target audience. A proposal would be made before the package is rolled out.

Fuller adds: “AdTorque Edge is large in Australia and pretty new in this country, so we’ll now be able to fast-track the pace at which we expand.”

Clark says: “We’re excited to be partnering with AdTorque Edge with its expertise in digital marketing. With its skill and Trade Me’s audience, dealers will now – for the first time – be able to target consumers along their purchasing journey.

“We’ll be helping dealers make their advertising dollars be much more efficient and across multiple platforms – social media, searches, digital displays and more.

“At its most basic, Trade Me Motors can provide data that can help AdTorque Edge focus relevant advertising to buyers interested in a particular vehicle, such as an SUV or Toyota Hilux. But there’s a lot more we’ll be able to do together too.”

Clark notes the partnership, which was announced on May 7, also gives Trade Me access to a broader range of digital services. 

Fuller adds: “Our partnership with Trade Me is in addition to our other services. These include building websites that work for car dealers, call tracking, and digital and creative services, such as digital banners and display adverts.

“At the moment, it’s all about letting people know we’re now strategic partners with Trade Me and are building products. We will obviously be informing the market of what’s coming next.

“The partnership signals a new chapter in the automotive space and the response we’ve had from the industry to the deal has been huge. There has been no negativity and everyone is being positive.”

Delivering marketing solutions

AdTorque Edge’s purpose is “to deliver innovative marketing solutions for the automotive, leisure and lifestyle industries”, according to the company’s website. It came about after combining AdTorque Strategic Services and Edge Online Consulting.

Established in 2005 as a joint venture with John Singleton Advertising, AdTorque – a full-service marketing agency – says its point of difference is that it employs “car people” who are able to work alongside dealership professionals “to develop targeted and measurable outcomes”.

Edge Online Consulting started delivering digital marketing services to the automotive industry in 2010. Its team works collaboratively with clients to deliver innovative ad custom-built digital solutions that represent their brand – and increase online traffic and customer loyalty.

AdTorque and Edge merged in 2017 in Australia because they believed a larger organisation would allow them to provide the automotive, leisure and lifestyle industries with a wider range of products and services, delivering a one-stop solution for clients’ marketing needs. The company now has offices in Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne.