Ad network ValueClick Media has agreed to retarget in-market car buyers who have previously visited Jumpstart Automotive Media's network of car-related sites in what MediaPost terms an unusual behavioral targeting deal between two networks. Users who visit a Jumpstart in-market auto site or advertiser's car site can be served ads if they appear on any of ValueClick media's 13,500 sites. Jumpstart's network includes Vehix, JD Power Autos, NADA Guides, and Consumer Guide Automotive.

Jumpstart will exclusively manage ad sales to car manufacturers, regional dealer associations and local auto dealers associations for ValueClick, according to ClickZ. "This is a match between what I call a horizontal network…[and] a vertical network," ValueClick General Manager Dave Yovanno is quoted as saying.

Marketers will be able toretarget users by demographic and lifestyle categories; they can also use sequential messaging by targeting ads specific to a product regarding which a consumer has expressed prior interest. About 10 car marketers have signed up so far; the deal was quietly launched about six weeks ago.

Auto is the top ad spending category in the U.S., with one in eight dollars spent on automotive. Auto consumers are usually in-market only 8-12 weeks, usually every 3-4 years. During the in-market period, less than 5 percent of online time is spend on an auto research site - making behavioral retargeting an ideal approach for such customers, according to Jumpstart and ValueClick.