Category Archives: Partnerships

TLA acquires VanGuide.co.uk

TLA, the automotive performance technology company, has acquired Van Guide to broaden its reach with in-market commercial vehicle buyers.

VanGuide.co.uk is the UK’s leading website dedicated to light commercial vehicles, offering news, review and guide content to help commercial vehicle buyers with their next purchase. Since its launch in 2018, VanGuide.co.uk has grown unique visitors to site by 200% year-on-year.

VanGuide.co.uk is another addition to TLA’s growing publisher network, joining TLA’s other first party publishers, CarKeys.co.uk and Askaprice.com, and its portfolio of third-party publisher partners, including Honest John and Next Green Car. The acquisition significantly strengthens TLA’s reach and presence in the light commercial vehicle market, allowing TLA to access and qualify high-intent commercial vehicle buyers for its automotive brand clients.

While the UK light commercial vehicle sector faced significant challenges in 2020, both Q4’s strong performance and the certainty offered by the Brexit trade deal provide a strong platform for a more successful year in 2021.

‘Exciting Acquisition’

TLA CEO Anton Hanley commented: “We’re proud to have acquired VanGuide.co.uk. Its website is a trusted source of high-quality commercial vehicle information for buyers and enthusiasts throughout the country. Combining their excellent content and extensive audience with our technology and processes will allow us to create even more quality opportunities for our clients to connect with hard-to-reach consumers and increase sales.

For more information, contact the team.

How consumers buy Electric Vehicles – Cover Image

How consumers buy Electric Vehicles

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Despite recent market turbulence, SMMT expects UK sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV) to double in 2020 and grow 250% by 2021 – a tripling of market share in three years.

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Until recently, manufacturers focused their EV market efforts on niche models targeted at early adopters, but 2020 has seen several mainstream models given the green treatment, including big hitters like the Vauxhall Corsa, Mini and Fiat 500. Soon, exciting new entrants will join, including the Volkswagen ID range, and even an all-electric offering from Porsche.

While there are certainly incentives for brands to push EVs, not least the looming possibility of fines for excessive emissions, the electric revolution is also demand-led. As prices fall, range increases, and charging infrastructure improves, new car buyers are finding EVs ever more viable as an alternative to petrol or diesel. Automotive data science specialist Sophus3 predicts that 11% of consumers in the EU expect to make their next car purchase an EV, up from 6% in 2019. Their latest data also suggests that interest in EVs is recovering at a faster rate than the overall market in the UK.

Yet while the importance of the segment grows in the eyes of manufacturers and consumers, the buying journey for EVs needs closer attention. Quite simply, the needs of an average EV buyer in 2020 are very different from those of their petrol and diesel counterparts. Whereas petrol and diesel vehicles benefit from decades of incremental change, the technology, features, and benefits of EVs are developing at breakneck speed, leaving a consumer education gap in their wake.

How does the EV buying journey differ?

This education gap manifests in the online behaviours that EV buyers exhibit while they are shopping – EV buyers research both more widely, and in more depth, compared to those for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

EV buyers tend to conduct their research widely across the internet, with 92% using independent third-party sites, and are likely to consider, on average, nearly six different vehicles during the research process. Here is the education gap in action: the immaturity of the market means that features and technology may differ wildly between competing vehicles, driving consumers to look beyond price as a determinant of their decision.

More key statistics representing that EV buyers shop wider than ICE consumers.

And in-depth? EV buyers seek out significantly more information on EV vehicles, during research, visiting five times as many model pages as ICE buyers and spending 27% more time on those pages mostly as a result of the generally low level of knowledge of EV vehicles. IBM suggests that 45% of drivers have “little or no understanding” of EVs. It, therefore, puts a greater onus on experience, with EV buyers twice as likely to take a test drive than ICE buyers.

A graphic representing statistics and showing that EV buyers research more than ICE consumers.

Supporting the EV buying process

Brands must support EV buyers through education and guidance, correcting misconceptions, increasing the general level of EV knowledge and addressing specific questions and concerns that buyers may have, such as range anxiety, getting their car serviced, and charging infrastructure.

TLA’s independent concierge-centric approach provides the perfect solution. Every TLA lead is qualified through our in-house contact centre, providing the opportunity for consumers to speak with an independent EV expert to guide their purchase before they reach a dealer.

TLA also has reach into the EV market, given our recent agreement with Next Green Car, the UK’s leading green car website. TLA deploy custom-built engagement tools across Next Green Car’s portfolio of electric vehicle-focused review, news, and guide content, with the aim of helping consumers make an informed green car purchase. TLA is also responsible for lead generation from Next Green Car’s search, social and email channels.

Sophus3 suggest that EV buyers are five times more expensive than ICE buyers to convert to sale, but we expect a significantly improved cost per acquisition from TLA leads, bringing it down to a rate similar to ICE buyers. We will do that through our access to in-market EV buyers and by leveraging our concierge service to educate and qualify buyers, allowing dealers to focus on selling.

TLA strongly believe that helping buyers to make informed purchase decisions is essential for the EV segment to prosper.

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Next Green Car and TLA extend partnership

Press release: Next Green Car and TLA extend partnership to help automotive brands connect with electric car buyers.

Online publisher  Next Green Car and performance marketing specialist  TLA have extended their partnership to help automotive brands reach in-market electric car buyers as they research their next vehicle.  

The partnership will see TLA deploy custom-built engagement tools across Next Green Car’s portfolio of electric vehicle-focused review, news and guide content, with the aim of capturing consumer interest and helping them make an informed green car purchase.   

As part of the agreement, TLA will also be responsible for lead generation from Next Green Car’s search, social and email channels.  

While the UK automotive industry is facing an unprecedented challenge as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, SMMT’s May forecast predicts that market share for electric vehicles will grow by 85% in 2020, as the vehicles become more affordable and accessible to an increasingly climate-conscious market.     

This is a view shared by TLA, who believe that helping buyers to make informed purchase decisions is essential for helping the electric vehicle segment to prosper, and have spent the last year developing electric green-specific engagement tools to support the market. The partnership will provide TLA clients with access to more in-market consumers at all stages of the buying funnel, while enriching the site experience for Next Green Car visitors.  

Research shows that 80 per cent of consumers visit a third-party website during the research phase of a purchase, with 65 per cent using them to start their journey. Next Green Car is one of UK’s most popular websites for car buyers looking to switch to an electric car having built deep knowledge and experience of the market over the past ten years. 

TLA, meanwhile, has 18 years’ experience in the automotive sector, connecting in-market car buyers with brands such as BMW, VW Group, Ford and Mercedes-Benz.  With extensive consumer reach across a network of publishers, and underpinned by Platform X, its blockchain-based end-to-end consumer acquisition platform, TLA attracts, qualifies and guides in-market car buyers in making their next purchase.  

‘Exciting Partnership’ 

Next Green Car’s COO Melanie Shufflebotham said: “We are delighted to be working with TLA whose industry experience and specialist tools complement our existing content and will enrich the visitor experience. This exciting partnership will help consumers make a more informed decision when it comes to switching to an electric vehicle bringing significant benefits to NextGreenCar.com’s visitors as well as TLA and its clients.  

TLA CEO Anton Hanley added: “We’re proud to have extended our partnership with Next Green Car. Its website is a trusted source of high-quality electric vehicle and green information for car buyers and enthusiasts throughout the country. Combining their excellent content and extensive audience with our technology and processes will allow us to create even more quality opportunities for our clients to connect with hard-to-reach consumers and increase sales.

For more information,  contact the team.

About Next Green Car

Next Green Car is the UK’s leading green car website with a mission to help car buyers switch to electric motoring. Established in 2007, Next Green Car has been tracking the market for over ten years and has a deep knowledge of electric cars. Car buyers can search and compare any car currently available in the UK, and compare many criteria including price, tax, running costs, range and emissions. With the latest news and reviews on all-electric cars, Next Green Car is a destination for car buyers researching their next car purchase. Next Green Car has also developed and operates Zap-Map, the UK’s No.1 map of public charge points.

www.nextgreencar.com

Press release: HonestJohn.co.uk and The Lead Agency form exclusive partnership

Online publisher HonestJohn.co.uk and customer acquisition specialist The Lead Agency (TLA) have formed an exclusive partnership that will allow automotive brands to reach more in-market car buyers as they research their next vehicle.

Consumers browse HonestJohn.co.uk’s range of impartial and quality reviews and guides to inform their future purchase. TLA’s custom-built, relevant and timely engagement tools will capture their interest and showcase the options available to them.

The agreement will give TLA clients access to more in-market consumers earlier in the buying funnel, while enriching the HonestJohn.co.uk visitor experience.

Research shows that 80 per cent of consumers visit a third-party website during the research phase of a purchase, with 65 per cent using them to start their journey. HonestJohn.co.uk fits that category as one UK’s most popular websites for car buyers and enthusiasts, and winner of the Newspress Website of the Year accolade for an unprecedented three consecutive years (2016, 2017 and 2018).

TLA, meanwhile, has 18 years’ experience in the automotive sector, connecting audiences with brands such as BMW, VW Group, Ford and Mercedes-Benz to provide a source of incremental sales. Its blockchain based, GDPR-compliant tech platform and FCA permissions allow the business to simplify and accelerate a consumer’s car buying journey.

‘Exciting partnership’

HonestJohn.co.uk’s Managing Editor Dan Powell said: “TLA’s industry experience and specialist tools complement our existing content to enrich the visitor experience and help consumers make the most informed decision when it comes to choosing their next car. This exciting partnership will bring significant benefits to HonestJohn.co.uk’s visitors as well as TLA and its clients.”

TLA CEO Anton Hanley added: “We’re proud to have formed this partnership with HonestJohn.co.uk. Its website is a trusted source of high-quality information for car buyers and enthusiasts throughout the country. Combining their excellent content and extensive audience with our technology and processes will allow us to create even more quality opportunities for our clients to connect with hard-to-reach consumers and increase sales.”

As part of the partnership, TLA will take responsibility for lead generation from HonestJohn.co.uk’s social channels, representing an opportunity to combine a powerful consumer-focused brand with engagement, validation and qualification technology.

For more information, contact the team.

TLA to build on Haymarket Automotive partnership

Earlier this month Haymarket announced plans for a three-year £50m investment that will create a new standalone division for its flagship automotive publishing brands, WhatCar?, Autocar and Pistonheads.

Following its landmark announcement, the publishing group has confirmed that TLA will remain a key part of the partnership and continue to deliver automotive clients with high-quality prospects via the WhatCar? valuation tool.

‘Strong and successful partnership’

Rachael Prasher, managing director of Haymarket Automotive, said: “We have a strong and successful partnership with The Lead Agency, and will be looking to build on this over the coming months and years. Connecting What Car?’s data with customers is central to our strategy.”

Since our partnership with the WhatCar? team began in May 2016, we have connected thousands of in-market car buyers with its manufacturing partners. The new investment will provide an opportunity for us to build on this success, delivering a greater volume of data and opportunities to convert.

We’re excited by the impact of Haymarket Automotive on the UK automotive industry as a whole and look forward to building on our successful partnership.