With the launch of its multimedia Heart & Mind brand campaign, and a resurge of the U.S. auto market, AutoTrader.com reached a record 1.02 million unique visitors on Tuesday, May 18, one day prior to its twelfth anniversary. The site launched May 19, 1998 as Autoconnect.com

“AutoTrader.com has built a brand that people know as a top on-line destination for car shopping,” said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry, in the announcement.  “AutoTrader.com has continued to grow our traffic as more and more consumers go on-line to do their research, compare models, review pricing and specials and find dealers.  With the economy picking up and the auto industry recovering, we expect to continue growing our influence and our site traffic even more.  I believe surpassing 1 million unique monthly visitors in a day as we did last Tuesday is just the beginning.”

Four distinct marketing campaigns are credited for the jump in visitors. These include the Heart & Mind broadcast, digital and social media ad campaign; AutoTrader.com sponsorships on TNT of the NBA and several Major League Baseball teams; numerous auto show exhibits; and ongoing collaborations to power automotive classifieds for traditional media in various U.S. regions.

AutoTrader.com regularly surpasses 15 million monthly visitors.