An often quoted “statistic” from a study by Forrester’s Dr. James McQuivey claims that one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. While more anecdotal than fact, it does cause us to respect the powerful impact that videos are having in today’s marketing. YouTube is often referred to as the second-largest search engine, bested only by Google, and it’s clearly a go-to resource not only for entertainment, but also for information.

Look at major retailers that really work their online presence and you’ll see a proliferation of video content. Harbor Freight Tools has nicely done homegrown-style videos for most of its products, and they are strong contributors to the company’s massive sales. According to Marketing Sherpa, website visitors are 64% more likely to buy a product online after watching a video. Google also loves videos. Search rankings can get a nice boost with the addition of videos, and research shows that Google favors sites with video content in its search algorithms.

An often quoted “statistic” from a study by Forrester’s Dr. James McQuivey claims that one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. While more anecdotal than fact, it does cause us to respect the powerful impact that videos are having in today’s marketing. YouTube is often referred to as the second-largest search engine, bested only by Google, and it’s clearly a go-to resource not only for entertainment, but also for information.

Look at major retailers that really work their online presence and you’ll see a proliferation of video content. Harbor Freight Tools has nicely done homegrown-style videos for most of its products, and they are strong contributors to the company’s massive sales. According to Marketing Sherpa, website visitors are 64% more likely to buy a product online after watching a video. Google also loves videos. Search rankings can get a nice boost with the addition of videos, and research shows that Google favors sites with video content in its search algorithms.

By Jason Catullo

Personalized with Rugged Ridge products and built by DUB Garage, the Omix-ADA SEMA Cares Jeep JK sold for $100,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited donated by Omix-ADA to SEMA Cares was sold during last night’s Barrett-Jackson auction for $100,000. The custom Jeep marks Omix-ADA’s third partnership with SEMA Cares over the past three years.

Personalized with Rugged Ridge products and built by DUB Garage, the Jeep was designed by Arianny Celeste, LFTD & LVLD magazine, Rugged Ridge and SEMA Cares. The Jeep was displayed at the 2015 SEMA Show and was recently featured on the cover of DUB magazine’s issue 96 along with Celeste.

The custom Jeep marks Omix-ADA’s third partnership with SEMA Cares over the past three years.

Best known for her work as a ring girl for the UFC, Celeste also co-hosts the automotive reality TV show “Overhaulin’,” where a team of mechanics and designers complete a custom car or truck build in just a matter of days.

The SEMA Cares Committee was established by SEMA’s Board of Directors in 2007 and strives to make a positive difference through outreach programs and various fundraising efforts. SEMA Cares makes its mission to foster industry leadership by supporting the education of students pursuing careers in the automotive aftermarket.

For more information on SEMA Cares and its work with local communities, visit www.SEMA.org/sema-cares.

By Jason Catullo

Personalized with Rugged Ridge products and built by DUB Garage, the Omix-ADA SEMA Cares Jeep JK sold for $100,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited donated by Omix-ADA to SEMA Cares was sold during last night’s Barrett-Jackson auction for $100,000. The custom Jeep marks Omix-ADA’s third partnership with SEMA Cares over the past three years.

Personalized with Rugged Ridge products and built by DUB Garage, the Jeep was designed by Arianny Celeste, LFTD & LVLD magazine, Rugged Ridge and SEMA Cares. The Jeep was displayed at the 2015 SEMA Show and was recently featured on the cover of DUB magazine’s issue 96 along with Celeste.

The custom Jeep marks Omix-ADA’s third partnership with SEMA Cares over the past three years.

Best known for her work as a ring girl for the UFC, Celeste also co-hosts the automotive reality TV show “Overhaulin’,” where a team of mechanics and designers complete a custom car or truck build in just a matter of days.

The SEMA Cares Committee was established by SEMA’s Board of Directors in 2007 and strives to make a positive difference through outreach programs and various fundraising efforts. SEMA Cares makes its mission to foster industry leadership by supporting the education of students pursuing careers in the automotive aftermarket.

For more information on SEMA Cares and its work with local communities, visit www.SEMA.org/sema-cares.

By Jason Catullo

Personalized with Rugged Ridge products and built by DUB Garage, the Omix-ADA SEMA Cares Jeep JK sold for $100,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited donated by Omix-ADA to SEMA Cares was sold during last night’s Barrett-Jackson auction for $100,000. The custom Jeep marks Omix-ADA’s third partnership with SEMA Cares over the past three years.

Personalized with Rugged Ridge products and built by DUB Garage, the Jeep was designed by Arianny Celeste, LFTD & LVLD magazine, Rugged Ridge and SEMA Cares. The Jeep was displayed at the 2015 SEMA Show and was recently featured on the cover of DUB magazine’s issue 96 along with Celeste.

The custom Jeep marks Omix-ADA’s third partnership with SEMA Cares over the past three years.

Best known for her work as a ring girl for the UFC, Celeste also co-hosts the automotive reality TV show “Overhaulin’,” where a team of mechanics and designers complete a custom car or truck build in just a matter of days.

The SEMA Cares Committee was established by SEMA’s Board of Directors in 2007 and strives to make a positive difference through outreach programs and various fundraising efforts. SEMA Cares makes its mission to foster industry leadership by supporting the education of students pursuing careers in the automotive aftermarket.

For more information on SEMA Cares and its work with local communities, visit www.SEMA.org/sema-cares.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking public comment on ways to more quickly fix vehicles and motor vehicle equipment that are subject to safety or defect recalls. Improvements could include notifying owners via e-mail instead of relying on first-class mail, and requiring follow-up notifications if the owner took no action.

NHTSA will seek to identify differences in the marketplace (online vs. brick-and-mortar sales) and opportunities to better incorporate state vehicle registration databases in the recall process. Comments due March 10, 2016.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is seeking public comment on ways to more quickly fix vehicles and motor vehicle equipment that are subject to safety or defect recalls. Improvements could include notifying owners via e-mail instead of relying on first-class mail, and requiring follow-up notifications if the owner took no action.

NHTSA will seek to identify differences in the marketplace (online vs. brick-and-mortar sales) and opportunities to better incorporate state vehicle registration databases in the recall process. Comments due March 10, 2016.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Leaders within the Utah Congressional Delegation released their draft Public Lands Initiative (PLI), a locally sourced legislative solution impacting more than 18 million acres of land in seven eastern and southern Utah counties. Spearheaded by U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), the proposal is the product of three years of work and more than 1,200 meetings with divergent stakeholder groups, including local communities, off-road groups, environmentalists, logging, grazing, energy interests, etc.

Of particular interest to the off-road community, the PLI creates motorized recreation zones in San Juan and Grand Counties encompassing more than 375,000 acres, along with a 93-mile red rock OHV trail connecting towns in Emery, Grand and San Juan Counties.

SEMA is reviewing the draft legislation to confirm that any unprotected existing trails were replaced with trails of equal or better value. The legislation will be formally introduced in the coming weeks.

For more information, visit www.utahpli.com or contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Leaders within the Utah Congressional Delegation released their draft Public Lands Initiative (PLI), a locally sourced legislative solution impacting more than 18 million acres of land in seven eastern and southern Utah counties. Spearheaded by U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), the proposal is the product of three years of work and more than 1,200 meetings with divergent stakeholder groups, including local communities, off-road groups, environmentalists, logging, grazing, energy interests, etc.

Of particular interest to the off-road community, the PLI creates motorized recreation zones in San Juan and Grand Counties encompassing more than 375,000 acres, along with a 93-mile red rock OHV trail connecting towns in Emery, Grand and San Juan Counties.

SEMA is reviewing the draft legislation to confirm that any unprotected existing trails were replaced with trails of equal or better value. The legislation will be formally introduced in the coming weeks.

For more information, visit www.utahpli.com or contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.