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Marketing & Advertising Resources

This Subject Guide is designed to be a list of the most frequently used sources for advertising and marketing information, particularly for ASU class projects.

Ratings

Jump to the section on sites just for cars and other motor vehicles.

  1. Aribtron

    Aribtron rates radio stations with some television ratings.  They also provide media analysis reports on specific demographics.

  2. Worldwide Box Office News.

    This electronic newsletter keeps track of the opening and top films, movie theaters, studios, and regional and seasonal differences as rated by the box office ticket sales. The website also has a page for the Academy Awards Guide with analysis of likely winners.

  3. Consumer Reports 
    (ASU's subscriptions: electronic edition; print edition)

    The first link is to the Consumer Reports wed site where much of the detail people want requires a subscription.  The other two links are the electronic & print version of the magazine that ASU subscribes to. This is the magazine used by consumers to review the quality of appliances and cars before they buy. The magazine also covers such items as frozen foods, pharmaceuticals, leisure products, etc. The April issue is the car issue.

  4. ConsumerReview.com.  

    Somewhat different that the other product review, rating, and shopping web sites, this states as its mission as "to provide consumers the opportunity to review and learn about the products they use, as well as have a forum to interact with people who share a common interest in a hobby or recreational activity." This site also has more links to helpful buying and user guides than many other similar sites. Professional reviews are clearly separated from consumer ratings and reviews.

  5. Consumer World.

    This is an incredible site. It is more comprehensive than Consumer Reports in the breadth consumer information offered. The author is an attorney and consumer advocate/educator who is always looking out for consumer fraud. In addition to providing links to product ratings, there are extensive links to consumer resources, consumer agencies, consumer rights, consumer booklets, consumer news, etc. I particularly like the links to lesser known pages like the Lemon Check for CarFax's free used car histories. This is a good jumping point if you haven't found what you wanted on the other rating sites.

  6. Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands. (book)

    This three volume set of books provides a history and discussion of the development, including line extensions, of well known brands. Samples of the trademarks and logo changes are often included. A great overview for the brand names included. This book is rather dated (1994), so you may want to suppement wthi other brand case studies: SuperBrands.com or check the Awards for more information.

  7. Epinions.com.

    This web site "hosts a comprehensive listing of consumer opinions and reviews for thousands of products. The Service provides a forum for members to post their opinions and critical evaluations of products and services ("Reviews") and for consumers to receive free expert advice before making their purchasing decisions." The opinions are as reliable as any word of mouth recommendation -- some are very good, some are not.

  8. Nielsen//Netratings Latest Rankings Press Releases.
           US Newsletter 
           Neilsenwire 

    These free online items have the weekly and monthly top ten web sites, banner ads, advertisers, and web usage information. Of particular use is the Trend Index with the top 10 of the most popular items such as music. books. games, TV, and general consumer trends.

  9. Nielsen TV News & Ratings on Zap2it.com TV

    This service is a selection of frequently asked for Nielsen ratings of TV shows. The categories included are Sports, Cable, Syndicated, and Daily Shows plus the Season-to-Date Ratings. The page has the current week's ratings. This is the national ratings only.

  10. ConsumerSearch. Reviewing the Reviews.

    This is a free online index and abstract to product review information from all the publications and web sites monitored by the company. The reviews are both those published in magazines and journals and written by users of this service. While designed for those trying to decide which model and brand of an item to buy, it does quickly find product review articles for you.


CARS and Other Motor Vehicles

  1. CARFAX Vehicle History Reports.

    An interesting web site of a company that collects information on vehicles that have been in floods, salvaged, have odometer reading reports, state licensing information, accident reports, etc. You can purchase a complete history, but most folks use the free LEMON REPORT, free RECALL CHECK, and the free FLOOD CHECK. All reports are generated using the VIN (vehicle identification number) of the vehicle. This site has extensive links to other useful sites for those wanting to buy or sell cars.

  2. Edmunds.com: Where smart car buyers start.

    Dedicated to the prices of new and used cars and trucks, the added features include road tests, crash test results, recalls, etc. This supplements what is found in the April issue of Consumer Reports (print copy).

  3. Kelley Blue Book.       
       print editions 1971-2001 

    First listed is the web site of those standard blue books of the value of cars, trucks and motorcyles. It allows a search for the current value of one vehicle with one set of specifications at a time. The second item listed is the paper edition received and archived in the Hayden Library. The book can be more useful for quickly checking a variety of options on vehicles, or using the older editons of the work for historical valuations. The web site is very popular with car buyers not only because of the valuation search option, but also for all the other car buyer helpful information, reviews of models, and links to related sites.

 updated: 6/23/11

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Jenny Mueller-Alexander
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Ira A. Fulton Engineering: Polytechnic School &
ASU Libraries @ Polytechnic campus
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