PureCars CEO Lauren Donalson and President and Chief Revenue Officer Jason Wiley joined CBT News at the NADA Show 2026 to address the pressures dealers face as marketing grows more complex and margins tighten. Their focus centered on helping dealerships better understand performance, clean and activate customer data, and connect sales and service marketing into one coordinated strategy that drives measurable results across the entire ownership lifecycle.
Key Takeaways
- Dealers continue to struggle with determining which marketing investments produce real returns. PureCars emphasizes that effective targeting begins with accurate data. Many dealership databases still contain outdated customer records, leading to wasted ad spend and poor customer experiences. By consolidating and cleansing data through a customer data platform, dealers can deliver more precise messaging across channels, including digital advertising and personalized direct mail campaigns.
- Service marketing is becoming a higher priority as vehicle sales slow and dealerships seek dependable revenue streams. PureCars is helping dealers use data and AI-driven insights to identify high-value service customers, predict maintenance opportunities, and deploy targeted campaigns that bring customers back into the service lane. Dealers that treat service marketing as a strategic function rather than an afterthought are seeing stronger retention and long-term profitability.
- The next phase of dealership marketing depends on breaking down internal and vendor silos. Sales, service, and marketing teams often operate with disconnected tools and strategies, limiting performance. PureCars advocates for unified lifecycle marketing, where customer data, media execution, and communication strategies work together. Dealers that align these efforts create more consistent customer experiences and generate stronger results over time.
Catch all of CBT News’ coverage of the 2026 NADA Show here.
