Case Study: Auto Trader achieves 95% employee activation and a unified culture of recognition with Achievers' Spark platform

AutoTrader ignites the Spark of employee engagement by partnering with Achievers

AutoTrader Group, a major online automotive marketplace, faced a fragmented recognition program where departments ran their own initiatives—pizza parties, gift cards and sporadic emails—leading to inconsistent recognition, poor financial tracking and taxation, unequal employee experiences, and a need for a program that resonated with a changing workforce.

In 2012 AutoTrader partnered with Achievers to launch Spark, a tailored, easy-to-use online peer-to-peer recognition platform aligned to company values and business objectives, with robust reporting and analytics. The unified solution drove rapid adoption (95% employee activation), formalized recognition in scorecards and policies, embedded recognition in the company culture (Spark became a verb), and was later expanded to parent company Cox Communications.

Auto Trader

Heather Markle

ManagerRewards & Recognition, Human Resources