Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. — CUDL, which administers a point-of-sale and indirect auto lending network for credit unions, has announced that the company's AutoSMART Program and Website has been presented with Summit International's 2007 Marketing Effectiveness Award (MEA).

CUDL's AutoSMART Program and Website, which competed against 500 entries globally in the B2B Product Campaign Category, was recognized for outstanding achievement in the areas of Marketing Strategy and Effectiveness.

Developed specifically for credit unions and their member base, the AutoSMART Program and Website provides CUDL's 640-plus partnering credit unions a flexible, versatile vehicle shopping and research site that they can brand, customize and market to members as their own. As a result, the program provides credit unions with a key resource designed to enhance overall member satisfaction and drive member financing.

For credit union members, the AutoSMART Website provides a state-of-the-art car shopping experience, offering robust vehicle research capabilities and an expanded library of online automobile shopping resources. A companion to the Website, the quarterly AutoSMART magazine, developed by CUDL, provides members with further insight to auto shopping, financing and car care tips.

The 5,000-plus auto dealers that currently participate in the CUDL AutoSMART program benefit from their ability to network with CUDL credit unions, connecting with the 20 million members they represent. Through the CUDL AutoSMART program, dealerships also have the ability to post their vehicle inventories online, both locally and nationally, providing an additional advertising source to drive new customer opportunities. Currently, more than 385,000 vehicles from dealer inventories nationwide are listed on the AutoSMART Website.

"Our goal is to provide our credit union partners with a program and online resource that will both help increase member retention and grow their auto loan portfolio, while also providing members with the most sophisticated, complete vehicle research and shopping Website available today," said Mike Federoff, CUDL's associate vice president of products. "For dealers, the AutoSMART site provides an ideal opportunity to connect with credit unions and their car-buying members in order to expand into new markets and grow their customer base."

The International Summit MEA is founded on the belief that the goal of marketing com-munications is to successfully change, influence or reinforce the target audience's knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. During the blind judging event (entering company names withheld) judges analyzed entries to determine if they significantly achieved this goal.

"Winning a Summit MEA is a significant accomplishment. The combination of our excellent judges and the tough judging criteria ensures that only deserving entries receive Summit MEA recognition," said Jocelyn Luciano, executive director for the Summit Awards.