Rick Gauthier, President and CEO of CADA (left)
with Tony Lepera, National Sales Executive and
team leader, automotive, 24hrs
Recently, the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) announced that it has signed a one-year agreement with 24hrs, a free daily newspaper published by Quebecor Media Inc. The agreement will see CADA, which represents more than 3,000 new car and truck dealers across Canada, provide editorial coverage in the paper’s Your Autonet section, with monthly columns from CADA President and CEO Rick Gauthier and Chief Economist Michael Hatch.
“This is an exciting relationship for us,” remarked Rick Gauthier, President and CEO of CADA. “For the first time ever, we can introduce consumers across the nation to the other side of the dealership, and invite them into our community.”
Susan Courtney, vice president of sales for Quebecor Media Inc. said that the agreement with 24hrs represents the first time that CADA has partnered with a news outlet in which it can directly reach consumers.The free daily is targeted at the major Canadian metro areas of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton where it reaches approximately 1.1 million readers. “This is a big opportunity for us to engage with consumers,” remarked Huw Williams CADA’s Director of Public Affairs. “Through Your Autonet we have the ability to write monthly articles in both English and French that help readers understand what the trends are in the auto industry and what is important, not only in terms of their own car and truck buying decisions, but also how the auto industry works.”
Williams says that as a trade association, CADA is always seeking ways in being part of the public dialogue. “A lot of people don’t understand the impact dealers have both in terms of the economy and their communities. Auto retailers are among the biggest employers in the country (over 140,000 people) and commit extensively to charities and community programs.”
According to Williams, the agreement has generated a lot of excitement among dealers, while additionally, CADA is really looking forward to engaging directly with consumers through the agreement. However he also notes that the idea is to provide topics that are informative and relevant to consumers. “These stories aren’t going to be mouthpieces for the association, they will be topics that matter to us all, such as congestion, the
environment and vehicle affordability.”
