Businesses that rely heavily on web marketing are in for a rude awakening in the coming year. That’s when privacy advocates will begin crippling the ability to easily track visitor activity on a company’s own website as well as across the Internet. In practice, the backlash against visitor tracking—commonly known as “Do Not Track”—is expected to make it tougher for a company to monitor which visitors are using its website and how they are using it.

SEMA and its Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) and Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) councils announced July 8, 2011, as Collector Car Appreciation Day. The date marks the second commemoration in what will become an annual event to raise awareness of the vital role automotive restoration and collection plays in American society. SEMA and its councils are now working to secure a congressional resolution to recognize the day’s significance.

Audi A4 Allroad, Chrysler 200 Soft-Top, 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 2012 Hyundai Genesis

A special group of enthusiasts entered the Las Vegas Convention Center on the final day of the 2010 SEMA Show. Despite the trade-only attendance rule, this select group was granted a “golden ticket” through the SEMA Opinion Leader Program.

2013 Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, 2012 Chrysler 200, Ford Fiesta-Based CUV, Volkswagen’s New Midsize Sedan

The seventh annual Global Media Awards program found 150 companies being recognized by an international panel of automotive journalists at the 2010 SEMA Show. Twenty-four of the top automotive journalists hailing from 15 important world markets for specialty products rolled up their sleeves, and each selected 10 products from the New Products Showcase that they thought would most appeal to consumers in their home markets.

In the November 2010 issue of SEMA News, we discussed how SEMA-member companies might use auctions to find the perfect vehicle to feature in promotions and advertising. Such vehicles can provide value well beyond their material worth by helping customers realize long-held dreams. In some cases, however, the effectiveness of even the optimal vehicle eventually diminishes, whether because of changing styles, a new marketing direction or other factors.

The economy and the environment have been the major drivers for many markets over the last three years, and they have also been consistent topics of conversation among tire and wheel experts. The tire industry underwent a sort of accordion buckling in inventory as the economic slowdown led consumers to balk at anything other than critical expenditures and then pent-up demand caused a sudden resurgence.