#ByeByePrint, #HelloDigital - AutoTrader now Exclusively Online

Can you believe that it was 25 years ago, when the very first issue of AutoTrader was born? Indeed, it was April the 16th, 1992. The very first cover was graced with a red cartoon car, probably a VW Beetle. For the bargain price of 50 cents, you could purchase an AutoTrader mag, which not only contained advertisements of used cars inside, but also offered the reader useful advice, such as how to buy and sell a second-hand car.

6 successful years later, on 5 October 1998, AutoTrader.co.za was launched. ‘Internet’ was the buzzword, and the AutoTrader website was the place to go looking for quality used cars - and that’s what people did, because they trusted the brand. Meanwhile, the AutoTrader magazine was being poured over by every household member, and not just potential car buyers.

The AutoTrader website itself was such a hit that a new brand image was unveiled in 2009, signifying the company’s position as the online automotive market leader. By 2012, AutoTrader.co.za would receive a design upgrade, and simultaneously celebrate 1000 print issues, while 2013 saw AutoTrader SA becoming independent from our United Kingdom-based parent.


How far AutoTrader has come - looking back to 2013, it feels like yesterday that the AutoTrader app was launched, allowing people to have access to our inventory of cars and features on-the-go. And here we are today: South Africa’s no. 1 online marketplace for buying and selling cars, both used and brand new. AutoTrader  boasts the biggest online automotive audience in South Africa today, and is the 10th most visited site in the country.


But the digital age moves at a whirlwind-pace, and as such, our printed AutoTrader’s mag is calling it a day. Since that very first 1992 edition, the mag has enjoyed a reach of over half-a-million readers per week! And in order for AutoTrader to remain top digital dog, we have to concentrate our efforts on being exclusively online, offering South Africans the most forward-thinking, cutting edge motoring content possible.

As for the buying and selling of cars, each month AutoTrader was carefully tracking whether people preferred using the printed magazine or website to place or respond to ads. A definite shift was taking place. According to AutoTrader CEO, George Mienie, it was 95 percent magazine, but by 2013, it was at mid-point.

“At the beginning of 2016 we thought we had another six months,” he said, “it was only in January 2017 that the magazine finally became cost prohibitive, and we were able to make the call.”

“We want to offer our users total efficiency, empowering them as much as possible,” said a smiling Mienie. “That has to mean an ultimate goal of being able to conduct an entire sale, online, perfectly. We’re not there yet, but we are a big step closer. For us, it’s just a matter of time.”

WIN with AutoTrader!

To celebrate AutoTrader being 100% online, we are asking YOU to share on Facebook and Twitter what YOU think should be left in the 90’s: Neon legwarmers? That old Enya CD? Nasty rave clothing?

You can win 1 of 10  R500 prizes by random draw! Tag @AutoTraderSA and use the hashtags #ByeByePrint and #HelloDigital to enter! What a time to be alive!

#ByeByePrint, #HelloDigital competition TERMS & CONDITIONS
 
1. The promoter is AutoTrader (Pty) Ltd (“the Promoter”).  
 
2. The promotional competition is open to all South African residents in possession of a valid identity document
 
3. Restrictions on eligibility: All entrants need engage on social media utilising the respective hashtags
 
4. The promotional competition is not open to any director, member, partner, employee, agent or consultant of the Promoter, the marketing service providers or any person who directly or indirectly controls or is controlled by these entities, including their spouses, life partners, business partners or immediate family members.
 
5. To enter the promotional competition, entrant(s) must:
 
a. Be a South African citizen
b. Be over the age of 18 years
c. Enter the said promotional competition in the entrant(s) personal capacity and not as a business such as, a close corporation, partnership and/any legal entity.
 
6. All personal information (‘Personal Data’) supplied by participants shall be processed in accordance with South African data protection legislation and the Promoter’s Privacy Policy.
 
7. This promotional competition is open from Sunday midnight 23 April 2017 and ends at 12pm Wednesday 26 April 2017. Any entries received after the closing date will not be considered.
 
8. Winners will be contacted via social media as well as receive prize details via email correspondence.
 
ENTRY REQUIRMENTS
 
9. To enter, participants will be required to share on Facebook and Twitter, what they think should be left in the nineties using @AutoTraderSA and the respective hashtags, #ByeByePrint and #HelloDigital.

10. All posts with @AutoTraderSA tagged and #ByeByePrint, #HelloDigital used will be entered into a random draw to determine the 10 lucky winners.
 
11. Participants may enter as many times as they wish provided that each entry is associated with a #ByeByePrint, #HelloDigital Hashtag and @AutoTraderSA.
 
Prize
 
12. By engaging with the #ByeByePrint, #HelloDigital content on @AutoTraderSA social media, users stand to WIN 1 of 10 random R500 cash prizes. We will be giving away 10 prizes in total.

SELECTING WINNERS
 
13. The Winner will be selected by means of a random draw (algorithm).
 
DELIVERY OF PRIZE
 
14. The prizes will be deposited into the respective participants bank account within 14 days after the winners have been announced.
 
General
 
15. Participation in the promotion constitutes acceptance of the promotional rules and participants agree to abide by these rules.
 
16. A copy of these rules can be found on the following website https://www.autotrader.co.za throughout the period of the Promotion.
 
17. The Promoter shall have the right to change or terminate the Promotion immediately and without notice, if deemed necessary in its opinion due to circumstances arising outside of its control. In the event of such change or termination, all participants agree to waive any rights that they have in respect of this Promotion and acknowledge that they will have no recourse against the Promoter or its agents.
 
18. Neither the Promoter, its agents, its associated companies, nor any directors, officers or employees of such, shall be liable for any loss or damage, whether direct, indirect, consequential or otherwise arising from any cause whatsoever, which may be suffered by the participant or the Winner.
 
19. The Promoter reserves the right to provide a participant with a prize of equivalent value in the event that the participant is not able to successfully claim their prize due to circumstances beyond the control of the Promoter.
 
20. In the event that the prize is not available despite the Promoter's reasonable endeavours to procure the prize, the Promoter reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal value.
 
21. All personal information ('Personal Data') supplied by participants shall be processed in accordance with South African data protection legislation and the Promoter's Privacy Policy.
 
22. Prizes are not transferable.

23. Failure to claim the Prize or a refusal or inability to supply required documentation or comply with any of the competition requirements within 3 weeks will be forfeited .
 
24. The Promoter shall not be responsible for any lost, damaged, delayed, incorrect or incomplete entries for any reason whatsoever. 
 
25. The Promoter shall not be responsible for the failure of any technical element relating to this promotion that may result in an entry not being successfully submitted.
 
26. Responsibility is not accepted for entries lost, damaged or delayed as a result of any network, computer or cell phone hardware or software failure of any kind.  Proof of sending will not be accepted as proof of receipt.
 
27. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any claim if fraud or cheating is suspected, including without limitation, through the manipulation of code or otherwise frequently falsifying data.
 
28. No applications from agents, third parties, organised groups or applications automatically generated by computer will be accepted. No incomplete or corrupted entries will be accepted. Entries will only be accepted if they comply with all entry instructions.
 
29. NOTE: Any attempt to use Twitter (social media) accounts or other tactics to enter or vote more than the stated limit may result in disqualification and all associated entries and/or votes will be void. Entries or votes generated by script, macro, bot, commercial contest subscription, incentives or other means not sponsored by the Promoter, vote-swapping sites, voting software, entering service sites or any other automated means and entries or votes by any means that subvert the entry/voting process or do not conform to the terms or spirit of these competition rules, will void the entry/votes and may disqualify the entrant.
 
30. The prize is not transferrable.
 
31. The Promoter reserves the right to use the images taken of the Winner for publicity purposes in any manner they deem fit, without remuneration being made payable to the Winner.  However, the Winner has the right to object to these images being used by written notification to the Promoter
 
32. The Promoter shall have the right to change or terminate the promotional competition immediately and without notice, if deemed necessary in its opinion and if circumstances arise outside of their control.  In the event of such change or termination, all participants agree to waive any rights that they have in respect of this promotional competition and acknowledge that they will have no recourse against the Promoter or its agents.
 
33. In the event that the Prize is not available despite the Promoter’s reasonable endeavours to procure the Prize, the Promoter reserves the right to substitute the Prize of equal value.

34. Neither the Promoter, its agents, its associated companies, nor any directors, officers or employees of such, shall be liable for any loss or damage, whether direct, indirect, consequential or otherwise arising from any cause whatsoever, which may be suffered by the participant or the Winner.
 
35. Participation in the promotional competition constitutes acceptance of the promotional competition rules and participants agree to abide by the rules.