GM is launching an online advertising campaign and sweepstakes to support GM BuyPower – its online shopping and buying service site designed using consumer feedback

The advertising campaign, called "Prepared," is comprised of a series of banner ads that show how GM BuyPower helps consumers become better prepared to shop for and buy a vehicle. These banner ads started appearing on most major automotive Websites last Friday.

The sweepstakes, called "Start Driving Your Dream Vehicle," will be featured on NetZero's Auto Channel starting today and ending Sept. 22. This contest will allow consumers to enter to win any vehicle that is featured on GM BuyPower, with some restrictions, based on price and availability.

Zentropy Partners developed the creative for both the new online advertising and the NetZero Sweepstakes. The goal of both efforts is to increase consumer awareness of the GM BuyPower service and its recent enhancements, which include:

• Simplified navigation
• New, personalized "MyBuyPower" feature to save configured and located vehicles
• Coverage of OnStar and XM Satellite Radio
• Integration with GM Service and Parts Operations
• "Email a friend" functionality
• Ability to easily cross-shop entire GM product portfolio by vehicle segment (e.g., SUVs)
• Improved comparison tool, vehicle configurator
• Enhanced communications with GM BuyPower manager.

Now in its fifth year of existence, GM BuyPower delivered about 1 million sales leads to GM dealers and helped them sell about 200,000 GM vehicles in 2002, according to GM data. Consumers rated the GM BuyPower.com Website more useful than other manufacturers' sites in the 2002 J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study. The Website averages more than 1.5 million visits and more than 3.5 million dealer inventory searches per month.

As General Motors began to revamp GM BuyPower, the company first asked consumers what information, functions and services they want when they prepare to buy a new car or truck. GM discovered that consumers were looking for a new way to complete their transactions, and used this input to completely redesign the GM BuyPower Website, which recently launched.