On the latest episode of Inside Automotive, we spoke with John Fitzpatrick, CEO of Force Marketing, and Aaron Baldwin, CEO of automotiveMastermind, about their newly announced data partnership. This collaboration aims to empower car dealers to connect more effectively with customers and reduce marketing inefficiencies by integrating automotiveMastermind’s predictive shopper insights with Force Marketing’s AudienceIQ platform, enabling them to deliver personalized and targeted digital campaigns.
The partnership grew from a common dealer frustration: managing multiple vendors and disconnected data sets wastes both time and advertising dollars. By integrating automotiveMastermind’s predictive intelligence, which leverages CRM, service, and S&P Global Mobility data, with Force Marketing’s AudienceIQ platform, the companies aim to simplify the data landscape and create a seamless, more effective marketing engine for dealerships.
A key finding during the initial pilot phase revealed that approximately 47% of a dealership’s CRM data is no longer valid. This means nearly half of the ad spend is often misdirected. By continuously cleaning and enriching this data in real time, the partnership enables more accurate targeting, allowing dealers to engage customers at critical points in their buying journey.
“Great personalized marketing creates a better experience for the customer.” – John Fitzpatrick.
The integrated solution can now track shoppers as they move across devices, channels, and even states, identifying triggers such as address changes through Amazon Prime accounts. This capability enables dealerships to act within hours of a customer signal, a critical advantage in an industry where speed to market often determines success.
Aaron Baldwin explained the ongoing monitoring process:
“It’s a monitored universe, meaning we constantly look for changes—whether someone is moving, adding a new dependent, or making changes with their vehicle—and update our predictive analytics accordingly.”
Fitzpatrick emphasized the importance of this approach for customer lifetime value, especially amid dealership consolidation. With the average American household owning 2.2 vehicles, understanding and engaging every household member is key. Whether one switches from Toyota to BMW or another family member considers a Kia, personalized targeting helps dealers meet these evolving needs.
The partnership also supports fixed operations strategies. Fitzpatrick noted dealers are refocusing on service lane conversions, improving absorption rates, and leveraging customer data to identify prime trade-in opportunities. “Your best trade-ins come through the service lane,” he said, “and our tools help dealers act on that faster.”
For dealers just starting their data journey, Baldwin advised a simple approach: keep CRM data current, encourage salespeople to take meaningful notes, and ensure service advisors gather high-quality data. From there, tools like AudienceIQ can build on that foundation.
Looking ahead, both leaders expressed confidence in the auto market’s resilience. Fitzpatrick highlighted steady vehicle sales projections and a renewed focus on fixed operations as positive signs. “Customer lifetime value is very much alive and well,” he concluded.
