ATLANTA — Cox Automotive has named Zambezi as its lead creative agency for the company’s consumer brands: Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. Zambezi will work with both companies to help change the way they collectively approach marketing and communications for consumers.

Through the process of searching for a creative agency, Zambezi delivered an innate understanding of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, as well as a strong aptitude for creatively leading the brands through their respective evolutions.

"With Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book being two of the biggest brands in automotive advertising, it is our responsibility to lead the industry with transformational marketing that deeply engages consumers in their car-shopping journeys while offering our clients new ways to connect with those consumers," said Jessica Stafford, vice president of consumer marketing and creative studios at Cox Automotive. “We are striving to be more nimble, flexible, contextual and data-driven in our marketing, and we were looking for a partner that could bring fresh thinking to our brands. We found our perfect match in Zambezi, and we're looking forward to doing some really cool things this year."

More than 65% of all car shoppers visit Autotrader.com or KBB.com during the car shopping process. To ensure customers continue to continually visit their websites and develop consumer interest, Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book will collaborate with Zambezi to further develop their brands.  

“The rarest thing in business is a category leader who thinks and acts like a challenger. That makes Cox Automotive a dream partner for us. There’s tremendous energy around the brands right now. And we are going to communicate them in human, inspiring ways — driving to integrated experiences, online and offline. Car shoppers will find everything they need to get matched with their perfect car, and they’ll do it in fresh, engaging ways,” said Chris Raih, founder and CEO of Zambezi.