Send us Fan Mail

Streaming is splintered, AI is the new TV guide, and last-click is dead—Michael Kraut lays out the dealer playbook for what’s next.

Auto Collabs history: our first ever in-studio guest! Experian’s Michael Kraut sits down with Paul to map the new media reality—where streaming splinters attention, Yahoo and Amazon quietly re-emerge as ad heavyweights, and AI agents become the front door to what we watch and how we buy. Marketing isn’t just media, it’s math—and Michael explains how identity, enrichment, and hygiene turn messy dealer data into competitive advantage.

We dig into practicals dealers can act on today: service as a growth engine, outcome-based measurement borrowed from retail media, and the signals that actually predict lift. We also get real about affordability, totaled-vehicle dynamics, fewer true “new” model launches, and a Gen Z buyer who cares more about tech than badge. Plus a little Syracuse nostalgia and a hot take: we may all be headed back to a cable-like bundle (with AI riding shotgun).

Takeaways

0:00 — Our First In-Studio Guest & Why Being In-Person Changes the Conversation

0:58 — “We’re Building More Sets”: The Plan to Bring Dealers to Syracuse

3:17 — From Circuit City to CarMax: Why Adaptation Beats Legacy Every Time

4:11 — LinkedIn’s Organic Reach Is Gone: What We’d Do Differently (x5 Harder)

6:42 — Your Ads Are Everywhere (and Nowhere): The Platform Explosion No One Can Manage

8:32 — Streaming Fatigue Is Real: Why “Cable 2.0” Might Win the Sunday Sports Fight

10:32 — AI As Your TV Guide: Voice-In, Watch-Now, With Ads Baked Into the Agent

12:46 — Your Best Data Isn’t for Sale: CRM/DMS Hygiene as the Unfair Advantage

16:33 — Stop Worshiping Last-Click: How Outcome-Based Marketing Actually Looks in Auto

18:32 — Measuring Lift the Real Way: Service RO Signals, Search Intent & Scheduling

24:07 — What We’ll Talk About at NADA: Fixed Ops as the 2025 Growth Thesis

25:22 — Affordability Won’t Blink: Totals, Insurance, and the Case for Keeping Cars Longer

26:32 — Fewer True Launches, More Rebadges: Why Creative Has to Sell Utility, Not Novelty

27:17 — Gen Z Isn’t Loyal to Badges: If the Tech Works, They’ll Switch

29:23 — From 13 Subscriptions to One Bill: The Bundle Is Coming Back (With Hyper-Personalization)

Connect with Michael Kraut at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kraut-1b9b3/

Learn more about Experian Automotive at https://www.experian.com/automotive/

⭐️ Love the podcast? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your LinkedIn or Instagram handle so we can thank you personally! We have a daily email! 

https://www.asotu.com

✉️ Sign up for our free and fun-to-read daily email for a quick shot of relevant news in automotive retail, media, and pop culture.

🎧 Like and follow our other podcasts: