From November 14th to the 16th, the 2021 Automotive Analytics and Attribution Summit (or AAAS) took over the beautiful Eau Resort & Spa, welcoming the entire industry to the balmy seaside climate of Palm Beach, FL. A perennial attraction for some of the most innovative professionals in the automotive space, the AAAS provides an opportunity to address the shortcomings, inefficiencies and failures of the status quo in order to inspire, tap into and propel the next wave of dealer innovation for 2022 and beyond.
Set foot inside the doors of any of the summit’s countless workshops, panel discussions, keynote presentations or open conversations, and an AAAS “first-timer” might be blissfully unaware of the influential industry-shapers that they’re likely to rub elbows with. Arguably, one of the perfect examples of this comes in the form of Chip Perry, CEO & Founder of A2Z Sync.
A graduate of Harvard Business School, Chip’s role in shaping the automotive space stretches back across four decades. As the former CEO (and very first employee) of AutoTrader, his guidance led it to become the largest third-party vehicle shopping website, earning annual revenue in excess of $1.5 billion. From there, he spent half-a-decade as CEO for TrueCar, before assuming his current role with A2Z Sync.
In his current leadership role with the CO-based company, Chip is embracing the opportunity to work on the biggest and most important opportunity in automotive retail: helping dealers improve the core customer experience. Advocating for a customer centric, One-Person Sales Model, Chip is certain that such steps will be the primary differentiator between excellent and average dealerships in the years to come; and when Chip Perry speaks, people listen.
But, at the close of day one, Chip found himself captivated alongside both AAAS attendees and exhibitors as the lights dimmed, and the smell of freshly-popped popcorn filled the air. Following an enthusiastic introduction from AAAS host Brian Pasch, the entire room was transported to a galaxy far far away, by a pair of cinema-sized screens displaying an immersive keynote from Wikimotive. Conveying the unique importance of organic search to today’s dealership, ‘SEObi Wan Kenobi’ framed the entire presentation within the recognizable elements of the beloved STAR WARS universe. And with the loving homage in place, stood ready to do battle with the dark side of paid search, the galactic SEMpire.
Needless to say, when someone of Chip’s stature shared his personal enthusiasm for Wikimotive’s 58-minute mini-movie, we were flattered beyond belief. We felt even more fortunate that someone of his influence, who possesses such a uniquely intimate relationship with the industry, would offer to share his thoughts on what made our SEARCH WARS parody such impactful viewing.
If you’d like to view SEARCH WARS for yourself, here’s an exclusive chance to view it NOW (Password: AAAS2021!)