Kihon Media

What Kihon Media does

Kihon Media, Inc. is a privately held, Folsom, California-based company that develops and operates Sensible Driver, a fully managed email marketing and customer retention platform targeted at franchised auto dealerships, tire/service centers, and independent auto repair shops in the United States. The Sensible Driver platform is built around an e-magazine newsletter, a car care content website, an electronic coupon engine (Sensible Coupon Engine with Tire Center), and a campaign analytics dashboard (Customer Central), integrated with Dealer Management Systems (DMS) and CRM platforms through the ADF protocol for automated lead, ROI, and reporting synchronization. Supporting modules include ContentStream (curated automotive content delivery), WebDriver (mobile-optimized dealer websites from $99/month), Sensible Ads (PPC management on Google/Yahoo), SalesDriver (lead follow-up campaigns), EZ Reminder (service appointment reminders), e-Mail Development (list building and hygiene), and AdBlast (promotional email blasts), with a separately branded Sensible Driver White Label program for agencies and direct-mail resellers.

Kihon Media runs a sales-led, fully managed go-to-market motion in which the company performs content creation, campaign execution, list management, and reporting on the client's behalf, charging recurring subscription fees priced on a quote basis per program package. Its customer base consists of franchised auto dealerships and tire/service chains (notably Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers, where Kihon is an Approved Vendor, and the Future Automotive Group's Northern California stores including Future Ford of Sacramento, Future Ford of Clovis, Future Ford Lincoln of Roseville, and Future Nissan of Roseville), with Roseville Toyota cited as a four-year customer of the platform.

The company was founded in 2003 (per firmographic records) / 2005 (per company history), with Sensible Driver launched in June 2005 and a major Version 2.0 release in April 2011. Kihon Media has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and operates with a lean editorial team of 1-10 employees led by founder Jay Alling (Publisher/Editor-in-Chief). Revenue mechanics are concentrated in monthly recurring subscriptions, PPC management fees, and licensing/royalties from the white-label reseller channel, all within a single-country U.S. footprint.

Name

Kihon Media

Legal name

Kihon Media, Inc.

Website

https://kihonmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kihon Media is a privately held U.S. company that operates Sensible Driver, a fully managed email marketing, coupon, and customer retention platform built for franchised auto dealerships, tire/service centers, and independent auto repair shops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Folsom

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Sensible Driver e-Programs Subscription: Fully managed monthly email marketing programs for auto dealers and repair shops. Programs include email newsletters, content websites, coupon engines, and analytics dashboard. Revenue generated through recurring subscription fees for program packages.
2. Sensible Coupon Engine: Electronic coupon management integrated with email programs. Generates additional revenue through service, parts, tires and accessories promotions.
3. Sensible Ads (PPC Management): Search engine marketing program (pay per click) managing campaigns on Google and Yahoo. Custom-designed ads with tracking and analysis.
4. White Label / Reseller Program: Fully branded digital solutions for agencies and direct mail companies to resell under their own brand. Includes technical support and licensing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kihon Media develops and operates Sensible Driver, a fully managed, integrated e-marketing platform built for automotive dealerships and repair shops. The platform combines an e-magazine newsletter, car care website, coupon engine, and analytics dashboard, and is sold as a suite of subscription-based programs including Sensible Ads (PPC), SalesDriver (lead generation), WebDriver (mobile websites), EZ Reminder, e-Mail Development, and AdBlast campaigns.

Product overview

Kihon Media offers Sensible Driver, a fully managed, integrated e-marketing platform for automotive dealerships and repair shops. The platform combines an e-magazine newsletter, car care website, and coupon engine as core components, supported by ContentStream for content delivery, Customer Central for analytics and campaign management, and additional modules for pay-per-click advertising (Sensible Ads), lead generation (SalesDriver), mobile websites (WebDriver), automated reminders (EZ Reminder), email development, and AdBlast campaigns. The company operates on a fully managed model, handling content creation, campaign execution, and reporting. A white label reseller program is also available for marketing agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sensible Driver®: An integrated internet marketing program for auto dealerships and auto-repair shops that generates traffic and increases sales through e-mail marketing, content streaming, and customer retention tools.

Products and services

• Sensible Driver Flagship integrated e-marketing platform for automotive dealerships and repair shops combining email newsletters, car care websites, coupon management, and analytics. Includes ContentStream, Sensible Coupon Engine, and Customer Central dashboard as core components. Sold as a fully managed monthly subscription.
• Sensible Ads

Quantifiable outcome

• Increase campaign traffic by up to 1000%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / core and core.

• Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centersflagship / coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 December 2011Kihon Media named as Approved Vendor for all domestic Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers for Sensible Driver e-Sales & Retention Program. The Quick Lane marketing program delivers emails directly to customer inboxes and includes a content-rich Quick Lane-branded car care website. Sensible Driver for Quick Lane is an authorized program for Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers with co-op guidelines compliance.
• Future Automotive GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 August 2011Northern California Future Automotive Group (including Future Ford of Sacramento, Future Ford of Clovis, Future Ford Lincoln of Roseville, and Future Nissan of Roseville) selected Sensible Driver for Quick Lane. Four branches increased online customer traffic through coupons, e-news, and car-care website. Customer reported doubling open rate on cold prospect lists and increased click-through rates since June 2011.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Dealer.com: Dealer.com (now part of Cox Automotive) is a major provider of digital marketing solutions for auto dealers, including websites, SEO/SEM, and email/CRM tools. It overlaps directly with Sensible Driver's web, email, and content offerings but serves dealers as part of a much broader suite, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct competitor.
• DealerSocket: DealerSocket (now part of Solera) provides CRM, desking, and digital marketing tools for auto dealers. Like other incumbents, it overlaps with Sensible Driver on email and marketing automation but competes as part of a multi-product dealer platform.
• VinSolutions: VinSolutions (a CDK Global product) is a CRM and marketing platform for auto dealers with email, desking, and lead-management capabilities. It competes for the same dealer marketing budget as Sensible Driver but bundles CRM and DMS-adjacent functionality, positioning it as a broader incumbent.

Direct peers

• LotLinx: LotLinx is a digital marketing platform specialized for auto dealer inventory advertising, with AI-driven paid search and social campaigns. It targets the same dealer marketing spend as Sensible Driver but focuses on inventory merchandising and paid channels.
• PureCars: PureCars is a digital advertising and marketing intelligence platform specialized for automotive dealerships, with heavy emphasis on paid search and omnichannel campaigns. It overlaps Sensible Ads' SEM/PPC offering and competes for the same dealer marketing budget.
• Podium: Podium is a customer messaging and review platform widely adopted by auto dealers for leads, texting, and review generation. It competes for the same dealer marketing dollars with adjacent messaging/reputation capabilities that overlap Sensible Driver's customer retention and coupon use cases.
• ActivEngage: ActivEngage provides live chat, text messaging, and managed customer engagement services for auto dealers. It competes for the same customer-retention and lead-conversion use cases that Sensible Driver addresses through email and coupons.
• Digital Air Strike: Digital Air Strike is a digital engagement and social media marketing platform purpose-built for auto dealers and the automotive industry. It competes head-on with Sensible Driver in dealer-focused digital marketing, social posting, and customer engagement, making it the closest direct peer.

Emerging players

• AutoSweet: AutoSweet is a smaller digital marketing and inventory platform for auto dealers, competing in the same niche as Sensible Driver. It is an emerging player with partial overlap on dealer websites and marketing automation.
• Roadster (Recurrent): Roadster (now part of Recurrent-affiliated digital retailing efforts) provides digital retailing and dealer marketing tools. It overlaps with Sensible Driver in dealer digital presence and lead generation, but with a stronger emphasis on online checkout and digital retailing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kihonmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/KihonMedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kihon Media