PureCars at DMSC 2026: 3 Key Takeaways for Modern Automotive Marketing

PureCars was thrilled to participate in the 2026 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference (DMSC), held April 26–28 at The Westin Kierland in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event brought together forward-thinking automotive marketers to explore strategies, technology, and insights that drive dealership growth.

For years, Broad Match keywords carried a reputation for being too broad, often triggering ads for irrelevant queries and hurting campaign performance. Many advertisers leaned on Broad Match Modifiers (BMM) to regain control, but when BMM was deprecated, confidence in Broad Match dropped further.

In a recent conversation, Brian Pasch sat down with Jason Wiley, PureCars’ Chief Strategy Officer, to unpack the strategy behind PureCars’ acquisition of AutoAlert—and more importantly, what it means for dealerships navigating an increasingly complex marketing landscape. At its core, this move signals a major shift toward unified, end-to-end customer lifecycle management.

We recently reached an important milestone: PureCars has officially acquired AutoAlert. While PureCars and AutoAlert continue to operate as two separate platforms, they are now both part of the PureCars family—bringing together two leaders in automotive technology to create a more connected, data-driven experience for dealerships.

In the car business, value matters—and dealerships know how to spot it. That thinking is at the core of PureCars’ most significant milestone to date: the acquisition of AutoAlert. This isn’t just another announcement. It marks the largest acquisition in company history and, as CEO Lauren Donalson describes it, the closest thing to a once-in-a-lifetime moment in her more than 10 years with the company.

On a recent episode of the Car Guy Coffee Podcast, Josh Stoll from PureCars shared his expertise on helping dealerships tackle challenges at a larger scale. With a focus on Enterprise Partnerships, Josh outlined how PureCars works with multi-store groups to provide customized solutions that drive measurable results.

PureCars, the leader in customer data management and advertising solutions for automotive, today announced its acquisition of Kansas City-based AutoAlert, the leading provider of automotive data mining and customer engagement solutions. The strategic acquisition brings together two industry innovators to deliver the most comprehensive, AI-enabled, activation-ready data platform in automotive retail.

Tax season isn’t just another campaign—it’s one of the most important buying moments of the year for dealerships. During this time, consumers receive the largest influx of disposable income they’ll see all year, and for many, that refund quickly turns into a down payment on their next vehicle. It’s a natural trigger point—one that moves shoppers from consideration to action faster than almost any other season.

At NADA 2026, Carley Painter of PureCars sat down for an interview hosted by the Car Guy Coffee Podcast, sharing key insights on how dealerships can leverage AI, clean data, and strategic marketing to drive results and enhance the customer experience.