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BREAKING NEWS & VIEWS
ConsumerReports.org Sells Auto Content by the PartTuesday, July 14, 2009 Conventional wisdom holds that ConsumerReports.org is the fee-based exception that proves the rule. With more than 3 million paid online  subscribers, the site’s invaluable product ratings and unique lab tests demonstrate that consumers will only pay for exclusive content that helps them make or save money. But it is hard for many publishers to see how the lessons of CR apply to broader kinds of consumer content. In fact, CR does have active competition online in the auto category from deep and free alternatives like KBB.com and Edmunds.com, as well as CarandDriver.com. It targets this category with special product offerings that aim for auto-intenders at just the point they are ready to cut their best deal. Recognizing that many car buyers will come to CR without a desire to subscribe to all of the content, the company has carved out smaller offerings that accommodate the consumer at just the right place in the purchase funnel. And CR successfully charges users for the service. The “New Car Price Kit” and Used Car Price Kit” are $39. These packages give users access to an unlimited number of detailed price reports on specific car models for the three-month period in which many people actively decide to purchase their car. Included in the kits are advice on negotiating a deal, finding the right model for your needs, model reliability reports and expert test reports. Another product, the one-off “Price Reports” at $14 each, give users model-level specs and options pricing as well as the car’s retail price and exclusive information on the local dealer discounts in place. By matching a content package specifically to a key moment in the car buying experience, CR is able to convince car buyers of the added value of their package and create a product that is just-in-time content worth paying for. Timing is at least as important as content and packaging in the fee-based game. According to Jerry Steinbrink, VP of publishing for Consumer Reports, altogether, the Auto Price Service group brings in about $5.5 million in revenue. Steinbrink will be among four presenters sharing their tactics at the July 21 min Webinar “Cracking the Paid Content Code: Making Money Now From Your Online Audience.” If you have breaking news to share please contact Steve Smith at ssmith@accessintel.com
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