Back in the fall I was writing about using search engines and software tools to track the online reputation of your organization and its products. Another survey is out that shows again how important it is to have an informative Web presence and good online PR.

The survey comes from the Polk Center for Automotive Studies, and it asked a total of 366 first-time vehicle buyers (ages 18-30) from across the United States about their experience buying a vehicle for the first time.

I remember going to the library with my dad when I was a kid and he was looking for a new car. There, he'd grab a copy of Consumer Reports and photocopy the pages that interested him. And the iPod generation?

Out of considered mass media outlets, thirty-five percent of first-time vehicle buyers consider the Internet to be their most important informational tool, compared to 8.2
percent for television, 4.4 percent for magazines, 3.6 percent for newspapers
and 1.1 percent for radio.

The next big thing for auto companies will be mobile media technology, according to Lonnie Miller, managing director for the Polk Center for Automotive Studies. But here's a quote that deserves attention:

"Generation Y is tuning out traditional advertising, and
watching what they want, when they want. Creating breakthrough content and
developing relationships with customers through emerging media technologies
will separate the winners from the losers in the next five years."

It's news like this that has traditional media companies scrambling. Today the New York Times has word of a re-organization at Time Inc. (free registration required) that will let it re-allocate assets to expand its online business.

Thanks to Shore Communications for the link.