The world is changing and the world of advertising is changing along with it. Now we get our news, sports, and weather from that handheld devise also know as a personal digital assistant (PDA). They even say within a few months we will be watching “24” and “American Idol” on that same handheld devise. So, what will this do to our traditional viewing habits? Will we still be sitting down at night watching the evening news or will we all become a world of handheld geeks? How will these changes affect the way we buy media and advertise for our dealerships?

Before you start making calls to find out rates for pod casts or inquire what it costs to sponsor the weather on your Blackberry, let’s examine the facts. Yes indeed, the world is changing into a faster more high tech place. People are now on the go all the time and how they receive media is rapidly changing. The majority of people, however, still drive to work in the morning and listen to their favorite radio station. And while they are getting ready, they still watch the “Today Show” or the local morning news on that good old-fashioned television set. Sure, some drive to work and listen to CDs or satellite radio, but that still remains a minority of our population. I don’t know about you, but I prefer watching the Yankees play the Red Sox on my big screen HDTV vs. my iPhone and millions of other TV viewers agree.

Even the newspaper, which they say has been on life support for the last 10 years, will still reach more homes than the top rated evening newscast in most markets in the country. Oh sure, people are getting much of their news on the Internet and PDAs and yes newspaper circulation is declining almost everywhere in the country, but nothing will drive a weekend car sale better than a full-page, full color, double truck ad in the paper, combined with a heavy TV and radio blitz.

For the past four years in this space, I have been a proponent of diversifying advertising budgets into more digital advertising. I have also been telling you to take money from some of your weaker media and find good digital alternatives. Traditional media, however, is still necessary to assure the success at your dealership. I believe in the next 10 years, there will be new technological discoveries that will radically change media even more than what we are experiencing today, but in order to sell cars today you must still have a strong traditional media presence.

Your local newspaper, TV station, radio station, or ad agency will show you how to maximize traditional media by adding a digital component. In most cities, the newspaper and top TV stations generate more hits than any other local Websites. This combined with a strong broadcast schedule will keep your store in the forefront in your market and guarantee you more car sales in this new world of automotive advertising.

Tom Letizia is the president of Letizia Mass Media, a full-service advertising agency specializing in automotive. He can be reached at 702-777-2121 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .