Where are the automotive ad dollars going?

Print and TV advertisers may be feeling the pain of lost auto ad dollars, but auto is a growing category for cinema. Car companies are increasingly turning to movie theaters as a primary medium for advertising their new launches.

Both Screenvision and National CineMedia, which are running national schedules for Nissan and Kia, expect the auto category to be up in 2009. For Nissan, cinema advertising is the core element of its marketing for the 370Z, reinforced with only a smattering of network TV spots. "Cinema is the broad-reach medium. It is more conducive to a spring and summer launch, when TV viewership is down," says Nissan executive Chad Jacoby.