Autobahn’s Remaining Dealers
Dropped from Inside Automotive’s Purchase Page
2023 June 20
When Frank Kent Cadillac ended its commercials on KLIF Wheels, its referrals on the Wheels radio show website (Inside Automotive) were dropped within a week.
But, when the Sewell Automotive Company ended its commercials on KLIF Wheels, referrals from Wheels’ website to Sewell’s outlets slowly dwindled. Some were dropped (Collision Center, Lexus Dallas) while most remain (Audi, Infiniti Dallas, Infiniti Fort Worth, Lexus Fort Worth, Subaru).
So when Autobahn Fort Worth ended its commercials on KLIF Wheels, it was uncertain how Ed Wallace would update his referrals on the Inside Automotive purchase page. Up until early June, it appeared that Autobahn’s fate would follow the path of Sewell, where some its dealers are dropped (Jaguar, Land Rover, Volkswagen, and Volvo) and some remaining (BMW, Porsche).
Ultimately, Autobahn Fort Worth’s path was the same as Frank Kent Cadillac, although it took longer to reach the same destination. As of June 19th, all of Autobahn’s remaining referrals were dropped from the Inside Automotive purchase page.
Ed Wallace repeatedly affirms that dealers do not pay for his purchase page referrals and that those referrals are to his friends. But, in practice, when a dealer stops paying to run commercials on his radio show, Ed Wallace drops that dealer from the Inside Automotive purchase page, albeit with varying alacrity. In short, those affirmations are just another example of Wallace’s dishonesty with the audience.
However, all of the above again raises the curious case of the remaining referrals to the dealerships of the Sewell Automotive Company. Despite Sewell ending there commercials in August of 2022, most of the referrals from that time are still present on the purchase page. Perhaps Wallace receives a marketing fee from Sewell for the customers his website refers. Or perhaps Wallace hopes to woo back Sewell’s patronage in the future. Regardless the case, it is likely dispiriting for Ed to retain that referral to Sewell Lexus Fort Worth while being unable to win their business.
On the other end of the spectrum, competitor Car Pro Jerry Reynolds conspicuously declines sending customers to Sewell Lexus Fort Worth yet continues to air commercials for other Sewell dealerships.
|
The Car Pro Show
Caller Jerry Reynolds |
Sewell advertises extensively in the greater Dallas area market. They have a dealership (Sewell Lexus Fort Worth) without a radio shill. But it appears that Ed Wallace is an association that Sewell no longer desires (and wisely so). Yet still, Wallace keeps hope alive.
Conversely, as for Autobahn Fort
Worth, all vestiges of their business relationships with Wheels are gone. And
it seems that hope for their return had died.
-- Related Stories --
2023/09/12 - WBAP CarPro Jerry Reynolds Discusses Why Autobahn Fort Worth Exited Show
2023/08/12 - Autobahn Fort Worth Exits CarPro’s Radio and Referral Program
2023/04/29 - Three More Autobahn Fort Worth Dealerships Dropped from Inside Automotive’s Purchase Page
2023/04/15 - Autobahn BMW and Volkswagen Stop Advertising on KLIF Wheels
