CitNOW Video Awards winners announced

The winners of the CitNOW Video Awards – the first of their kind for the automotive industry – were announced today at a networking lunch and ceremony held at the home of BAFTA in central London.

An expert judging panel presided over by CitNOW chairman and founder Andrew Howells, analysed some 50 shortlisted entries in seven categories.

Video continues to become an increasingly important tool for sales personnel and workshop technicians – technology pioneer CitNOW now counts 90 of the top 100 dealer groups in the UK among its clients and works with 24 major OEMs across Europe. The Awards have been set up to showcase the best practitioners in the business.

While the judges praised the calibre and professionalism of all entrants, it was Sytner Audi Nottingham that brought home the Best Overall CitNOW Award, as well as the Best CitNOW Sales Video Award.

A montage of some of the entries appears in the video below.

Ridgeway was awarded the Best CitNOW Workshop Video and also picked up a highly commended in the Best CitNOW Sales Video category.

Howells said: ‘I was very proud to see so many entries for the inaugural CitNOW Video Awards. The standard of entries was fantastic, especially considering that these are personal responses created using an ‘easy to use’ video application.

‘No lights, no make-up and few, if any, retakes; personal presentations to help customers make the right decision. This is exactly what CitNOW is about, enabling the automotive industry to over deliver to their customers with simple, personal and powerful video presentations.’

The CitNOW Awards aim to recognise companies and professionals who have embraced the use of video technology and make the most of the opportunities and benefits it offers, as well as showcasing best practice.

Entrants were judged on a number of criteria including attention to detail, their overall approach and how helpful their video would have been to the viewer.

On Audi Nottingham’s overall winning submission, Howells said: ‘Lee Wright at Audi Nottingham has created a textbook personal video presentation. From where he has positioned the vehicle at the dealership to the thorough explanation provided, he leaves the potential customer in no doubt he is there to help with the decision-making process and is happy to provide a helpful explanation of what is on offer.

‘Lee also listens. He picks up on what the customer said previously on the phone and replays this back in the video at the appropriate moments. Best of all, Lee has taken the time to give his customer every opportunity to fall in love with this vehicle.

‘There were many gifted presenters that were shortlisted for this award. The reason Lee won was because he’s the one who remembered his training and did the most effective presentation overall.’

The winning video is below.

Sepi Arani, used-car development executive at Audi UK, said: ‘It is brilliant to see Audi i-Sight, the tailored video solution and training package we’ve created alongside CitNOW, showcasing the fantastic mix of personality and expertise we have in our network.

‘Lee has done tremendously well at embracing video as a modern form of communication, while most importantly adding his own personal touch.’

Finalists and winners of the CitNOW Video Awards 2015

Best CitNOW Workshop video

Winner:

Ridgeway Audi, Oxford

Highly commended:

Grovebury Cars Kia, Dunstable

Lancaster Mercedes-Benz, Ipswich

Best CitNOW Sales video

Winner:

Sytner Audi, Nottingham

Highly commended: