Presidents’ Day, the Big Game, and Tax Season to Get 2021 Sales Rolling

Three February events will boost vehicle purchase intent from in-market auto shoppers:

1.) Automotive ads in the Big Game on Feb. 7

2.) The first sales event of 2021 with Presidents’ Day

3.) Tax season — particularly with the potential of another stimulus check. These events present dealers with a unique opportunity to engage shoppers and get momentum rolling in 2021.

What This Means for Car Dealers:

• Opportunity to Capture Interest Demand with Search
  Automotive brands advertised during the Big Game typically benefit from significant spikes in elevated search interest in the weeks that follow  — with increases in search volume as high as an 80%.1 This gives dealers an opportunity to engage with potential shoppers for vehicles like the Toyota Highlander, which was featured last year.
• Consumers Seeking Deals for Presidents’ Day
  Auto shoppers are primed to seek deals around sales events. Presidents’ Day is the first of the year and auto shoppers begin to seek sales two weeks prior to the holiday date,2 which is February 15th this year. Presidents’ Day and the Big Game haven’t been this close together — eight days apart — since 2016.

• Tax Season Putting Money in Car Buyers’ Pockets
  Nearly 10% of Americans say they spend their tax refund on a major purchase, such as a car. Vehicle sales may increase as much as 30% from February through April during tax season.3

While February is one of the lowest sales months of the year, there are still hundreds of thousands of new vehicles being sold, as well as millions of used vehicles. Months like February are when dealers must get the most impact out of their advertising spend and make sure that spend drives sales. At Foundation Direct, we offer transparent and direct solutions to dealers on the largest platforms to reach automotive shoppers. We would love to tell you more, so reach out to us.

Contributors:

Michael Heidner VP of Strategy and Business Development

Peter Leto Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Diffenderfer Co-Founder

Sources:

1Google Trends Data US, 2021 – Topics “Toyota Highlander”, “Hyundai Sonata”, “KIA Seltos”, “Jeep Gladiator”, “Genesis GV80”

2Google Trends Data US, 2021 – “President Day Sales’’ search term for “Autos & Vehicles’ Category

3COX Automotive “Cox Automotive Commentary: First-Half 2020 U.S. Auto Sales”