Cars.com ran an ad on CBS during the Super Bowl that drove 6,500 downloads of its recently launched mobile application in a single day.

Cars.com tapped PointAbout to create the application for the iPhone and iPod touch as a complement to its mobile Web site, which was created by Crisp Wireless. General Motors, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and Ford have all bought display advertising on the mobile site for 2010.

?We wanted to be available to all consumers, so we have to be device- and carrier-agnostic, so that if you have a mobile device, you can access all of the tools and the 2 million-plus listings on Cars.com using your handset,? said Sharon Knitter, senior director of consumer products at Cars.com, Chicago.

?About 30 percent of our mobile content is coming from the iPhone, and we have folks that have an iPhone that look at our mobile site, but we wanted to also give them the opportunity to download an app,? she said. ?We decided to start with a mobile Web site and add on device-specific apps as the market warrants?Android and BlackBerrry are on our radar.

?Mobile will continue to evolve, and we?ll continue to assess the layout of the marketplace, watch market share and adapt accordingly.?

Cars.com is an online and mobile destination for car shoppers, offering information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car.

With pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com gives car buyers the information to help them make confident buying decisions.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures LLC, which is owned by media companies Belo, Gannett Co. Inc., The McClatchy Co., Tribune Co. and The Washington Post Co.

Mobile shopping
Mobile is an increasingly important channel for Cars.com?s business, now accounting for as much as 5 percent of its overall site traffic.

Mobile is also critical for Car.com?s advertisers, which are looking for new ways to reach ready-to-buy shoppers on the go.

Given its increased importance and appeal to consumers, Cars.com decided to feature its mobile shopping channel in its 2010 advertising campaign, which kicked off this past Sunday during the Super Bowl.

The 60-second spot featured the life story of character Timothy Richman, who is showcased using Cars.com mobile to build his knowledge on a vehicle he plans to buy.

?We are already at No. 12 among free apps in the lifestyle category, right behind Amazon, which is really great for having been in the App Store less than a week,? Ms. Knitter said.

The Cars.com free car shopping application, which will also work on the iPad, can be downloaded from the App Store on iTunes.

The application gives car shoppers access to the most popular functionality on the Cars.com Web site.
Cars.com?s application helps mobile shoppers search dealer inventories and private-party listings to locate the vehicle they want.

Using the application, shoppers can search millions of new, used and certified vehicles based on make and model, distance and maximum price preferences.

Application users save specific dealerships and listings, along with notes and additional photos, to a favorites list for future access.

The application lets users locate nearby dealerships and contact them by email or phone, visit the store, view their complete inventory or access their traditional Internet site.

Users can sort listings to access search results based on distance, mileage, price and model year, as well as access affordability and payment calculators, Cars.com Smart Target Pricing for new cars and Kelley Blue Book Values.

Car shoppers who do not own an Apple device can access the Cars.com mobile site from any mobile browser.

The mobile site is monetized via banner ads with functionality such as click-to-WAP, click-to-call and click-to-dealer-locator for a particular make and model.

The iPhone application will begin to feature advertisements in the coming months.

?The two target markets for our mobile platforms are people who are on a dealer lot and those people who are someplace else, say, commuting or at an airport,? Ms. Knitter said. ?At least 40 percent of people who use the mobile web site are doing it from a dealer?s lot different needs.

?About 58 percent of Cars.com mobile shoppers plan to buy a car within 90 days, and 75 percent of page views searches for vehicle listings, so these are serious shoppers,? she said. ?Whether or not they?ve made a make-model decision, they?re at a point when you can influence these serious shoppers in this most personal of medium?there?s no other medium that people actually wear all the time.

?This is the first automotive shopping app for the iPhone that allows shoppers to find both new and used cars from a large selection of inventory, so it is quite a brand statement.?