What happens when an industry spends millions on paid advertising… but still measures success by the cheapest
possible lead?
In automotive, cost per lead has become the default scorecard. Lower is better. Higher is a problem. But outsde of automotive, that way of thinking has already been left behind.
In this epiosde of IN SEARCH OF…, host Dave Estey and Wikimotive Co-Founder Zach Billings are joined by Emma Davis, CEO of Working Planet and host of the Data Planet Podcast, to examine dealership marketing through a completely different lens. Drawing from experience with higher-impact verticals, Emma brings an outsider POV that challenges how automotive defines performance, measures success, and makes decisions.
Together, they unpack the gap between how dealerships think they’re measuring marketing, and how high-performing organizations in orther industries actually do it. From outdated attribution models to short-term decision making, this conversation exposes where automotive falls behind – and where it’s more aligned than we may realize.
Why Watch
• Rethink cost per lead – why other industries prioritize revenue, not just efficiency, when evaluating paid media
• Understand the automotive blind spot – how outdated systems and attribution gaps limit true performance visibility
• Learn how other industries measure success – from CAC to cohort analysis and incremental lift
• Break out of the 30-day mindset – why short-term thinking leads to reactive decisions and missed growth
• Apply the scientific method to marketing – how to test, measure, and iterate with confidence instead of guesswork
• Identify hidden performance signals – using mid-funnel metrics to optimize before revenue shows up
• Avoid “vanity changes” – why reacting too quickly can do more harm than good
• Diagnose the real problem – separating marketing performance from sales process, inventory, and operational
issues.
If you’re a GM, Dealer Principal, or Marketing Director trying to understand why more spend and more leads aren’t translating into better results – and how to make smarter, more accountable marketing decisions – this episode will challenge how you measure success.