ValueClick Media, a division of Westlake Village-based ValueClick Inc., announced the launch of Driven by ValueClick Media, a digital advertising platform designed specifically to meet the demands of automotive advertisers. Driven will leverage ValueClick’s technology and database of anonymous user profiles, according to the company. It will strategically target only those consumers who are actively researching a vehicle purchase. Further, through Greystripe’s mobile ad network, Driven will strive to reach consumers on any digital device. Driven will offer advertisers display, video and mobile and rich media options, said Sapna Gulaya, director of automotive sales for ValueClick Media. According to eMarketer, U.S. online ad spend in the automotive industry will increase by 11 percent, reaching $3.2 billion by the end of 2011. The company believes that ValueClick is well positioned to capture these auto ad dollars. To reach out to some of the largest automotive advertisers, ValueClick Media opened an office in Detroit, which will be led by Justin Krengel, formerly of Joost and Starcom MediaVest Group. Krengel has been in the digital space for 10 years, serving as a sales manager for Adconion and, more recently, Joost. His experience is rooted in working with top automotive clients such as the Detroit Three: Ford, GM and Chrysler. “ValueClick Media has outstanding solutions for automotive advertisers and it is great to be able to bring those solutions to the Detroit market,” Krengel said in a statement.
