automotive

Transcription

automotive

Ve r t i c a l S e r i e s
automotive
contents
Introduction
to the sector and online advertising 1
No need to go anywhere else
All your useful automotive links 3
The online car buyer 8
They like driving in their car,
but what are they doing online? 10
Reality Bytes: Diaries of real
car purchases 20
Which brands are racing ahead
with their online activity 23
The reviews are in!
NMA site inspections 32
The information
superhighway:
What online road to take 37
Online really works
IAB brand engagement study 46
Do’s and don’ts 50
Introduction
to the sector and online advertising
It goes without saying that automotive advertising
is big business. There are fewer industries that
can boast such a heritage of consistently powerful
marketing campaigns, designed to inspire strong
emotive reactions, impress audiences and encourage
the ultimate brand loyalty.
The automotive industry is now the second largest spender online,
accounting for 12.9% of the total market. Using search and classified
advertising are no-brainers, since the audiences are there as well
as a wealth of websites dedicated to car researching, buying and of
course, general enthusiasm for the area. We’ve also seen the sector
lead the way in terms of truly exceptional creative, which essentially
enables you to ‘feel the car’ online, to explore models and perform
functional tasks such as booking a test drive.
The internet is a perfect partner for this industry, due to the fact that
the medium facilitates every point of the online customer journey
and buying cycle, from initial interest right through to the final sale.
It’s even great for post-sale customer service, often referred to as
‘ecare’. In addition, the internet offers much more of a level playing
field than the dealership or forecourt, for online makes each ‘store’ or
showroom essentially the same size. It is up to the marketer to ensure
they drive consumers to the right place using the most relevant and
effective marketing methods, sometimes even with modest budgets.
1
Introduction
This is a digestible guide to the automotive sector online, the perfect
companion for anyone requiring a snapshot or overview of activity
in the area, or in the midst of an automotive pitch. What are car
buyers doing online? Where do they go and what are they in to?
How do you design an engaging and usable automotive site? What
makes for an effective display campaign online? All these questions
will be answered here, alongside some useful links, site reviews and
outstanding case studies illustrating how car brands have made the
most of what internet marketing has to offer.
2
No need to go anywhere else.
All your useful
automotive links
Brand’s own sites
Honda www.honda.co.uk/car
Aside from Honda introducing you to the individual personalities of the
various models they have to offer, through this site you can also book
a test drive and take the hondamentalist challenge!
BMW
www.bmw.co.uk
Use this site to browse new BMW models, find a used BMW and
catch up on the latest news and accessories information in the BMW
owners’ area.
MINI
www.mini.co.uk
On these pages you can journey back in time to learn about MINI’s
long and fascinating history, in ‘MINI Story’. Or you might like to
discover more about how each MINI is created in a Factory Tour....
Porschewww.porsche.com/uk
This site not only invites you to view new and used Porsches, you can
also compare and build your own model, find your nearest Porsche
centre and discover more about the technology behind the car.
Skoda www.skoda.co.uk
Discover why Skoda call themselves the ‘manufacturers of
happy drivers.’ From company history to Skoda’s role within the
environment, this site allows you to catch up on the latest ‘Skoda
news’, check out special offers and even build your own car.
3
No need to go anywhere else
Automotive Forums
Vauxtorque
www.vauxtorque.co.uk
Vauxtorque invites you to set up your own profile, enter discussion
forums, buy and sell used cars and read reviews on a variety of cars
by like-minded people.
BMW Land
www.bmwland.co.uk
A UK BMW chat and discussion forum for UK BMW. Here users
can share their experiences and discuss problems and solutions
concerning BMW cars.
Jaguar Forum
www.jaguarforum.co.uk
Here you can join the jaguar ‘social club’, gaining access to a variety
of discussion forums featuring light banter to motorsports. You can
also view the Jaguar gallery showcasing new models and classics.
Details on related up-coming events are also available.
BX Club
www.bxclub.co.uk
A site created by a UK based group of Citroen BX enthusiasts.
Here, you will find a discussion forum, photo gallery and access to
independent Citroen specialists.
BX 16V
www.bx16v.co.uk
This site is dedicated to the Citroen BX 16valve, although still a work
in progress it has an active discussion forum, sales information, race
news, photo gallery and technical information.
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Auto wired www.autowired.co.uk
This site is a port of call for all things automotive with the latest national
news concerning issues from congestions to car owners suffering
negative equity. There is a dedicated page for upcoming motorsport
events, dealer news, discussion forum and the opportunity to search
for a job within the automotive industry.
Aussiefrogs (OZ) www.aussiefrogs.com
Aussie Frogs provides you with access to discussion forums and news
articles. You can also upload your own photos and add your car to the
“Members Gallery”. Dedicated to French car brands, this site provides
you with a list of related upcoming events and car dealers.
Max Power
www.maxpower.co.uk/wwf/forum
A discussion forum based on the Max Power magazine, here you can
discuss the merits of the magazine as well as a range of automotive
issues from specific brands to motorsport.
Pistonheads
www.pistonheads.co.uk
PistonHeads invites you to search the latest car reviews, classified
and motor sport news, allowing you to view features such road tests,
PistonHead Heroes and My First Car.
Evo
www.evo.co.uk
Alongside car reviews and a discussion forum this site offers videos,
access to buying tools, valuation sites, accessory sites and news articles.
Auto Express
www.autoexpress.co.uk
This site encourages visitors to subscribe to the Auto Express
magazine, enter discussion forums, competitions and browse a range
of car reviews accompanied by videos. Auto Express also provides
reviews on car products from driving shades to upholstery cleaner.
5
I n t e r n e t Ve r t i c a l S e r i e s
Automotive
All your useful automotive links
Blogs
Carbuyers Notebook (US)
www.carbuyersnotebook.com
The Car Buyers Notebook offers videos and reviews alongside blogs.
Car Buyers Notebook have also created a widget to enable users to
keep up to date with news stories.
Autoblog (US)
www.autoblog.com
Autoblog ’obsessively’ covers the auto industry, with blogs and
industry news as well as information on auto shows and car brands.
Newcar.net
www.newcarnet.co.uk
New Car Net is all about ‘new’ cars - researching, searching,
choosing, buying, insuring, running and maintaining them. But your
‘new’ car may be someone else’s used car - so car net have access
to classifieds too.
AutoCar
www.autocar.co.uk
Autocar.co.uk is first for car news and reviews. Featuring classifieds,
forums, videos, motorsport and motorshow information and
specifically blogs.
Motor Authority www.motorauthority.com
The Motor Authority highlight a variety of news stories searchable by
topics such as ‘blast from the past’ and ‘audio’. The latest motorsport
news and car reviews are available alongside features such as ‘Spy
Shots’ and ‘eBay watch’.
6
Review & comparison
Auto trader www.autotrader.co.uk
With millions of unique users visiting Auto Trader to buy and sell a
variety of vehicles, it is one of the largest automotive websites in the
UK. It features news, reviews, advice and features including ‘check
your car’s history’ and ‘what’s your car worth’.
Car Choozer www.car.choozer.co.uk
This site has been designed for anyone who enjoys cars, or who need
to choose a company car, who is interested in new models and how
they measure up with each other. An in-depth car comparison site.
What Car
www.whatcar.co.uk
What Car is Britain’s biggest car buyer’s guide, complete with free
valuations, reviews, advice and tips and a weekly readers’ poll.
Top Gear www.topgear.com
Topgear.com is an extension of the BBC TV series. It includes a
buyers’ guide, merchandise, video archive, high profiles blogs and
competitions.
Fifth Gear
www.fifthgear.five.tv
Fifth Gear accompanies the Channel Five TV series, complete with
a discussion forum, buyer’s guide, reviews and features including
‘avoiding the sat nag’ and ‘falling out of fashion’.
7
Automotive
The Online Car Buyer
Auto Trader’s four types of car buyer:
Auto Trader worked with HPI Research in 2006 to break down the
four different categories of auto customer. Each group has a different
level of car knowledge and varying degrees of confidence with the
purchasing process:
•T
he gambler – Most confident and with the most amount of
knowledge, this group might be connected to the trade, will buy and
sell often, and could be described as ‘exploitative’.
•C
onfident optimist – Still confident but with less knowledge than the
gambler, the confident optimist enjoys buying and selling, and also
likes ‘negotiating’.
•C
autious cynic – As the name suggests, this group has less
confidence and knowledge. Their fear of being ripped off means they
do not enjoy buying or selling and they are looking for honesty and
transparency in the car buying process.
•A
nxious ‘virgin’ – Highly nervous with no car knowledge this group
needs reassurance all the way.
What car consumers are doing and where they are
doing it: From BMRB TGI.net, wave 14
Of those going online everyday or most days:
• 81% of people who agree that they like innovative cars are going
online everyday or most days.
• 80% of those who like to drive fast go online everyday or most days.
• 77% of online users who would choose a car mainly on the basis of
its looks, are going online everyday or most days.
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• 74% of online users who are not interested in what goes on under the
bonnet of a car are going online everyday or most days.
• Of online users who are very/quite likely to convince others about a car,
79% are going online everyday or most days (64% everyday).
• Of online users who have talked to many different people about cars in
the last 12 months, 78% are going online everyday or most days (and
16.5% of people who go online everyday have talked about cars to
many different people across the last 12 months).
• Those who intend to buy a car in the next 12 months are 38% more
likely to use online during the car purchasing process than regular
internet users.
Tips for understanding the automotive consumer
from iCrossing:
At the customer acquisition phase;
• Understand – Find your place within the network, be aware of influencers
and where appropriate interact and engage with your customers.
• Be relevant – Earn attention, act upon feedback, be trusted and
be useful.
At the customer retention phase;
• Monitor – Make changes based on feedback and success of campaigns.
• Be efficient – Solve problems quickly and honestly.
• Engage – Interact with owners and influencers.
Constant channel management;
• Collect data – Refine the marketing process, target future programmes.
• Connect – Ensure a consistent experience across all media and within
your dealerships.
• Enable dealers – OEM marketing (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
activities remain at the heart of the brand.
(Connected digital- Duncan Walters, Automotive Manager- iCrossing)
9
Automotive
They like driving in
their car, but what are
they doing online?
“Online has greatly streamlined the decision making
process for purchasing a car. The days of dedicating
precious weekends to tyre kicking research are gone.
From a single ad placement, buyers can learn more
about a vehicle, request a brochure and book a test
drive before clicking through to a branded site to
customise their dream car. The internet is a powerful
medium for making decisions about the brands we
like, with 56% of us ‘looking more favourably’ upon
certain brands after we have researched them on the
internet (Brand New World Research, AOL & Henley
Centre, 2004) and is increasingly becoming a platform
for completing the buying transaction with nearly a
quarter of UK consumers ‘likely to purchase a vehicle’
over the internet (Capgemini, 2007). There is a huge
opportunity for car brands to accompany online
consumers on this journey.”
- Sarah Perry, Director of Client Sales, Platform-A UK
Just the facts ma’am - The automotive sector according to the
IAB/PWC adspend study 2007
• UK Internet advertising expenditure grew 38% year on year to reach
£2.8 billion in 2007, commanding a market share of 15.3%.
• W ithin the total online advertising spend for the latter half of 2007,
paid for search accounted for 57.6% of the total share, display
21.0%, classifieds 20.8% and solus email 0.6%.
10
• Of all sectors, the automotive industry has embraced all areas
of online to the greatest extent, eg classifieds, search, display,
behavioural targeting and microsites.
• The automotive industry is the second largest spender in online
advertising, behind recruitment.
• Of the total online expenditure in the second half of 2007 the
automotive sector commanded an 11.7% share of the market.
Ch…ch…ch…ch changes in the way we buy cars
• 57% of consumers are undecided on an auto brand at the start of
their purchase path and approximately two thirds switch brands.
(Google Gearshift auto research, June 2007)
• Google research from 2007 reveals how online resources have
overtaken car dealerships as the initial point of reference for car
buyers – with a total of 86% of UK car buyers using online sources for
research during the car purchasing process. (Google Gearshift auto
research, June 2007)
Research reveals
that for the
‘in-market’
consumer, online
is a critical source
all the way down
through the
purchase funnel.
(Google Gearshift
auto research,
June 2007)
11
Automotive
but what are they doing online?
• The consumer is finding the internet an integral part of the car research
and decision making process. So much so that the average visits to a
dealer prior to purchase have reduced from 7 in 2000 to 1.5 in 2005.
(Network Q, April 2005)
• Despite the internet’s important role in the car buying cycle, consumers
still prefer to include an extensive offline element in their decision
making. The majority of consumers, for example, book a test drive
offline with only 12% of consumers who visit an auto site actually
booking their test drive online. (Google Gearshift, June 2007)
(Source: Time Inc Automotive Purchase Process December 2007)
12
Three reasons why the consumer is in the driving seat
1. 85% of internet users with an interest in the automotive sector
access consumer generated content or sites while shopping for a
vehicle. (Yahoo! JD Power October 2006)
2. 75% of consumers name word-of-mouth recommendations as
the most influential factor in their car-buying choices and almost
half credit internet discussions with helping them negotiate a
better price. (Nielsen BuzzMetrics: Power Shift: how the internet gives
consumers the upper hand— and what proactive automakers can do
about it, 2006)
3. 70% of consumers base their buying decisions on the opinions and
experiences of other vehicle owners. (Cap Gemini Ernst & Young)
Well I never knew that! Robin Goad director of research for
Hitwise outlines some recent traffic trends in the automotive
sector:
• UK internet traffic to the automotive sector fluctuates throughout
the year, typically peaking in early spring and late summer to broadly
coincide with new car registrations.
• The fastest growing sector of the online automotive market is
recreation and fan sites. This category has grown by 56% over the
last 12 months and in March 2008 was the second largest sector of
the market after classifieds.
• The largest recreation site, Pistonheads (www.pistonheads.com)
accounts for nearly a quarter of the visits to the category. It delivers
a significant amount of traffic to other automotive websites – eBay
and Auto Trader were the two most commonly visited sites after
Pistonheads in March 2008.
13
Automotive
• Similarly, the BBC’s Top Gear website – currently the second most
popular automotive recreation site – sends 27% of its traffic to other
automotive sites.
• Another big area is fan sites dedicated to particular brands or models.
8 of the top 10 recreation sites in the UK are fan sites. Volkswagen
is the most popular brand amongst car fanatics and modifiers, and
the company also has the second most visited official automotive
manufacturer website.
• Indeed, German cars are particularly popular online in the UK. BMW’s
homepage was the most visited website within Hitwise’s ‘Automotive
– Manufacturers’ category in March 2008. In addition, the inclusion of
Audi and Mercedes, as well as BMW and Volkswagen, meant that 4 of
the top 10 positions in the category went to German brands.
5 key facts from the IAB/ Thinkbox TV and online study 2008:
In 2008 the IAB conducted an in-depth piece of research with Thinkbox,
examining the effectiveness of using TV and online together. Brand
campaigns from a number of sectors were analysed. Here we present
the key automotive findings from this landmark piece of research:
1. The Automotive sector came out very strongly on ‘consideration’.
There was an increase of +25% points of those who had seen both
the TV and the online advertising, agreeing that they ‘will place the
brand on a shortlist for consideration’. For Honda, independently,
the uplift was +16% points. Given that consumers generally have a
top 3 favourites list when they’re in the market for a car, this is a really
positive result. Purchase intent also showed a significant uplift.
2. Using TV and online combined brings the audience closer to
automotive brands with an uplift of +17% points agreeing that ‘they
feel they know this brand well’ in the automotive sector, against those
who had seen both media.
14
3. Using a combination of TV and online increases relevance and
impressions of uniqueness in the automotive sector. There was
an uplift of +29% points from those who had seen both media
advertising agreeing that, ‘This is a brand for people like me’.
Furthermore, there was an increase +27% points agreeing that ‘This
brand offers something unique from other brands’.
4. The research resulted in significant uplifts for brand KPI’s –
agreement with ‘Honda love problem solving’ and ‘Honda are more
environmentally friendly’ showed increases of +22% points and
+23% points respectively from those who had seen both the TV and
online advertising. This is the messaging that Honda aimed to get
across to consumers and these results therefore really demonstrate
the power that using the two media together can have on brand
messaging.
5. Consumers are most likely to respond to automotive advertising via
online and offline responses, with talkability, click through, search
and visiting the brand’s website coming out the strongest for this
sector.
Global Reviews’ UK top five most important factors in
choosing a car online*
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Price
Fuel efficiency
Look and style
Safety
Size
* The importance of the brand was
somewhat lower down the list. Further
areas such as greenhouse emissions
were also cited as contributing factors
to the final purchase.
(Global Review’s UK in November 2007 a survey of 1000 respondents – all
with salaries over £40,000 – designed to investigate the role of the internet
in the car-buying cycle.)
15
Automotive
Getting personal: Demographic breakdown for the online
automotive category – April 08
Demographic
% Composition Unique
Visitors
Total Audience
100.0
Persons – Age
Persons: 15+
Persons: 15-24
Persons: 25-34
Persons: 35-44
Persons: 45-54
Persons: 55+
100.0
18.0
20.7
25.4
20.2
15.7
Males - Age
All Males (15+)
Male: 15-24
Males: 25-34
Males: 35-44
Male: 45-54
Male: 55+
55.4
9.9
11.5
13.9
10.7
9.4
Females - Age
All Females (15+)
Female: 15-24
Females: 25-34
Females: 35-44
Female: 45-54
Female: 55+
44.6
8.1
9.3
11.5
9.4
6.3
Source: comScore Media Metrix UK
16
* Unique Visitors
aged 15+,
excludes traffic
from public
computers such
as internet cafes
or access from
mobile phones or
PDAs
What else are pistonheads interested in? The top 25 most
popular categories for heavy visitors to automotive sites
Category
Total Internet Automotive Heavy
Manufacturer
Resources
Classifieds
Automotive
Car Rental
Sports/Outdoor
Taxes
Jewelry/Luxury
Goods/Accessories
Financial Information/Advice
Career Resources
Business to Business
Consumer Goods
Home Furnishings
Real Estate
News/Research
Maps
Home
Mall
Retail - Food
Online Trading
Health Care
Consumer Electronics
Job Search
Career Services and
Development
Directories
Total Unique
Visitors % Composition Composition
(000)* Unique Visitors
Index UV
2,946
1,471
2,916
2,557
2,946
265
785
60
8.6
31.9
23.0
22.1
20.0
19.9
16.1
15.5
100
369
267
257
232
230
187
180
375
1,827
636
1,030
800
1,106
1,248
1,409
1,881
453
1,261
1,238
166
417
1,509
385
15.3
15.2
15.1
15.1
15.1
13.8
13.6
13.6
13.6
13.4
13.3
13.1
13.0
13.0
13.0
12.9
178
176
175
175
175
160
158
157
157
155
154
151
151
150
150
150
1,411
2,082
12.9
12.8
150
149
Ranked by Composition Index UV – Apr 08 Source: comScore Media Metrix UK
* Unique Visitors aged 15+, excludes traffic from public.
Computers such as internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs
17
Automotive
They do more than look at car sites! The top 25 most popular
sites for heavy visitors to automotive sites
Category
Total Internet Automotive Heavy
Trader Media Group
Bauer Consumer Media
Automobile Association Ltd
Kingfisher
Ciao Sites
Shopzilla.com Sites
Moneysupermarket.com
Financial Group
DMGT
DIRECT.GOV.UK
MONEYSAVINGEXPERT.COM
Rightmove Sites
First Choice Holidays PLC
Vodafone Group
The Royal Bank Of Scotland
Camelot Group
News International
Lastminute.com Sites
The Carphone Warehouse
Group
Trinity Mirror Group
Dixons Stores Group
Arcandor AG
Wal-Mart
Lloyds TSB
TUI Group
JOBCENTREPLUS.GOV.UK
Total Unique
Visitors % Composition Composition
(000)* Unique Visitors
Index UV
2,946
2,366
728
894
689
541
523
8.6
40.2
21.7
21.2
17.3
17.0
16.3
100
465
251
246
201
197
189
962
1,605
710
385
519
403
375
826
614
895
469
16.2
16.1
16.1
15.5
15.2
15.1
14.9
14.9
14.8
14.6
14.4
187
186
186
179
176
175
173
173
171
169
166
375
627
616
454
417
528
456
394
14.4
14.3
14.2
13.9
13.9
13.9
13.8
13.7
166
166
164
161
161
161
160
159
Ranked by Composition Index UV – April 08 Source: comScore Media Metrix- April 2008
* Unique Visitors aged 15+, excludes traffic from public
computers such as internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs
18
Heavy/medium & light visitors to the online automotive sector
Segment
Heavy
Moderate
Light
Total Unique
Average
Visitors Average Minutes Pages per Average Visits
(000)*
Per Visitors
Visitor
per Visitor
923
1,386
2,310
2,579
2,522
2,805
4,411
4,211
4,874
Source: comScore Media Metrix – April 2008
* Unique Visitors aged 15+, excludes traffic from public
computers such as internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs
19
80
86
85
Automotive
Reality Bytes: Diaries of real
car purchases
Purchase 1 – Dave, 22
“I began my purchase by reading car reviews online about a particular
car I had seen that I liked the look of. Looking online has made things
so much easier as it saves the hassle of having to purchase the
magazines. Online also has the benefit of once you have clicked on a
car it goes into the garage’s main site so it shows the range of other
models at the showroom etc, so it may show something that you
hadn’t thought of before - if you had bought a magazine you would
more than likely just look at the particular model you are looking for.
I went to Auto Trader and PistonHeads classifieds to choose the
particular vehicle I was after. Online had the major benefit of enabling
me to put in the exact specification of what I wanted - from engine size
to colour - and it delivered results catered to me.
Purchasing and picking up the car was not the end of the process
however, as the internet enabled me to search for car insurance to fit
the model I had chosen. Gocompare.com had everything I needed in
one place.”
Purchase 2 - Dan, 30 – married homeowner
Week one
“I spent about a month on my purchase. We knew that we wanted to
buy a small economical car. We were keen on the Nissan Micra, but
unsure on the model or the age of the car that we wanted to buy. At
first we used Yahoo! Motors, MSN, Auto trader and Google to research
other similar models to the Micra as well as different Micra models.”
20
Week 2
“After a week we settled on the Micra and either a 1.2 or 1.2 variant.
Next the only offline step was to purchase an Exchange & Mart
handbook of second hand car prices. They may do these online but if
they do they’re hard to find so I bought one at the newsagents. Using
the book we were able to get an idea of the price that we should be
paying and the type of mileage we could expect.”
Week 3
“Back online we started to use Auto Trader, Yahoo! Motors as well
as Google. Faced with so many results we decided to focus on Auto
Trader only. Their comprehensive search facility really appealed and
they really do have loads of cars. In the end we had a shortlist of about
5 or 6 cars that we liked. We did a little more online research – looking
at the websites of the various car dealers/car supermarkets, just to
ensure we were making the right decision.”
Week 4
“The following Saturday following a quick ring round to check which
dealers still had the cars we liked available we arranged to go and see
them and ended up taking the first car we saw.”
Purchase 3 – Louise, 33
Week one
“I entered ‘VW dealers’ in to Google with mixed results. I found myself
on the Auto Trader website and printed out some car details. I also
visited Car Giant. I got some online insurance quotes for car potentials.
I realised when I was at Car Giant that I should have explored finance
options before I left! So left.”
Week two
“I then looked at jamjar.com for thoughts – I found I’d have to lease a
car or some such crazy deal. I didn’t want to do that so went back on
21
Automotive
Reality Bytes:
Diaries of real car purchases
to Auto Trader site. I found some private Golf sales - not like golf sales
where the guys stand with the boards on Oxford Street, but VW Golfs.
I spoke to some friends online about potential vehicle choices and
emailed my brother-in-law to come and see some with me.”
Week three
“I have my finance, have some car details and am hoping to buy a car
this week! If not, it will certainly be back to the internet!”
Purchase 4 - Nick, 35 – Father of three
Week one
“Being a family man I thought it was time to invest in a safer car. Auto
Trader seemed the obvious place to start my search. It reaffirmed my
belief that the Volvo would be a great option. I went directly to www.
volvocars.co.uk to see specific models matching requirements.”
Week two
“Through the Volvo website I found my local Volvo dealer and made an
appointment to test drive a second hand car. I really liked the model,
but wanted to see what other owners of the vehicle had to say about
it. I had a look on Newcar.net at some consumer reviews and was
pleased to see that a number of people had given the car five stars out
of five for both reliability and safety.”
Week three
“Happy with my decision I returned to the Volvo website and had a
look at the ‘dealer locator’ to search for cars that matched my specific
requirements with regards to age, fuel type, price range…etc. Finding
the exact model I wanted, I used the configurator on the site to add
some additional extras, such as Sat Nav and MP3 dock (a father of
three can still have such things). All that remained was to go and pick
up our new car.”
22
with their online activity
“Online’s really, really important for Ford, the new sort
of broadband has really empowered customers. They
can either choose to actively engage with you or not
engage with you. So if you can provide content online
where customers of their own choice come and spend
time with you and in your own environment, you’ve an
unparalleled opportunity to communicate with those
people, to engage those people, and to build your
brand in a really positive environment.”
- Lisa Brankin, Brand Communications and Events Manager,
Ford Motor Company UK
Five IAB / Microsoft Advertising Creative Showcase Award
winning campaigns
1. Volkswagen
Volkswagen.co.uk by Tribal DDB
- February 2008 winner
www.volkswagen.co.uk
Giles Montgomery, Grand Union
“A brand’s online presence must
embody its ethos, and that’s what this
site does for VW. Like the vehicles it
just works beautifully and everything is
designed around the user.”
23
2. Volkswagen Passat
Mid-Life Crisis Retreat
by Tribal DDB - May 2008 Winner
http://www.midlife-crisis-retreat.
com/
Paul Banham, formerly of
Agency.com:
“VW, nice idea very well put together.
Shows what can happen when great
planning and creative mix.”
3. Mercedes Benz
R-Class by Agency Republic
- December 2006 winner
http://agencyrepublic.net/
awards/creative_showcase/
rclass_microsite/home.php
Jon Sharpe, Play:
“As with all the best ‘storybooks’,
beautiful illustration is as vital as
flowing prose and this innovative
site marries the two art forms with a
verve not seen since Roald Dahl and
Quentin Blake. Well done Agency
Republic.”
24
4. MINI
MINI launch by glue London
- November 2006 winner
http://gluelondon.glueserv.com/
awards/2006/
creativeshowcase_nov.php
Piero Frescobaldi, Unit9:
“It perfectly executes simple short
immediate fun, online interactive
ideas that are only possible through
interactive and not through other
media.”
5. MINI Cooper S
‘Ave a word’ by glue London
- May 2006 winner
http://www.gluelondon.com/
creativeshowcase/mini/
Andy Sandoz, formerly of
Agency Republic:
“An impactful creative execution with
an inventive twist. Good for everyone,
very spreadable and very entertaining.
Great work.”
25
Automotive
3 Cannes Lion 2008 short listed automotive campaigns
1. “Rhythm of lines” – Audi A5 by GT London
2. “Inspired by nature” – Peugeot 308 by Euro RSCG 4D London
3. “Serene agility” – Mercedes-Benz C-Class by Agency Republic
Advertising.com creates bespoke campaign network and
helps drive Peugeot’s pre-roll success:
1. Advertising.com worked with OMD to target their premium male
25-44 year old network with a pre-roll campaign featuring 12 different
ten-second creatives, showcasing the premium quality of the new
Peugeot 308 model.
2. Advertising.com created a ‘walled garden’ of quality publisher sites
from their network ensuring the campaign ran across the most
effective sites possible.
3. The pre-roll ads mirrored the humorous TV sponsorship idents, a
tactic that ensured the campaign achieved cut through over other car
manufacturers where just pre-roll was available.
4. 3.1 million Peugeot 308 pre-rolls were delivered, with the varied
creative combined with a short ten-second length leading to a
record setting 90.7% audience view through rate. The campaign
subsequently drove a total 14,795 clicks to the Peugeot website.
Vouch for them! Great online ideas from AutoTrader and
Harvest Digital:
1. Auto Trader worked with agency Harvest Digital to boost sales of
their magazine by using online vouchers offering readers £1 off the
price of the magazine. A voucher for a 99p car wash was also made
available.
2. A microsite hosted the vouchers and made them available to
users if they entered details and signed up to future marketing
communications.
26
3. Traffic was driven to the microsite using “compelling” banners and
“provoking” emails and a viral element encouraged the offers to be
passed around between friends.
4. The creative was careful to reflect the Auto Trader brand qualities of
being direct, honest and offering value for money.
TMW’s four steps to using social media for the pan-European
launch of Nissan’s luxury brand:
1. TMW approached targeted Key Opinion Formers (KOF) to create
a buzz and build credibility across 21 markets for the European
launch of Infiniti.
2. In a transparent and careful way dialogue was initiated with KOF
across Europe on blogs, sites, discussion forums and content
verticals. This dialogue coincided with the Geneva Motor Show.
3. The engagement strategies were both reactive and proactive.
Online conversations about Infiniti or the Geneva Motor Show were
suitably responded to creating debate, and content was created
on Infiniti where none previously existed across a range of autospecific social media.
4. Targeted and cost effective, in four weeks over 700 conversations
were engaged across Europe, including the creation of 160 new
discussion threads in auto forums.
How Publicis Modem introduced the Renault Twingo to the
UK market:
1. Renault worked with Publicis Modem to develop the personality
of the new Twingo and raise awareness of the car that had never
previously been sold within the UK.
2. Publicis Modem created a series of films that were used in standard
and rich media online advertising formats aimed at driving traffic to
the Twingo microsite.
27
Automotive
3. An above average click-through rate on the banners drove a high
level of traffic to the microsite and a significant proportion of visitors
went onto book a test drive or request more information.
4. MPU and leaderboards were valuable in generating the highest clickthrough rate for this campaign (respectively 0.13 and 0.19% vs and
average of 0.10%).
Incentivated help Jaguar dominate the US mobile internet
with heavyweight on-the-go banner ad campaign. Here’s
how they did it…
1. The campaign was designed to drive traffic to Jaguar’s mobile
internet site, which promotes the new luxury Jaguar XF.
2. The mobile advertising campaign appeared on mobile internet sites
including cars.mobi, MSN.mobi, and Yahoo! Mobile.
3. The WAP site offers a variety of videos and images, allowing visitors
to locate their nearest dealer and book a test drive and download
wallpapers to their handsets.
4. Launched in November to coincide with the launch of the XF the
campaign delivered over 15 million ad impressions, resulting in over
85,000 unique visitors to the Jaguar XF WAP site.
How Renault and Coull used online campaigns to enrich the
brand value experience of the new Laguna Sport Tourer:
1. Coull were tasked with extending the new Renault Laguna’s TV
campaign with the purpose of enriching the brand value experience
of the new Laguna Sport Tourer.
2. MPUs were served across Lycos and About.com networks using
Coull’s Engage platform.
3. Users were invited to interact with Renault’s videos during play,
allowing them to engage with the new Laguna’s key features and
inviting users to click through and book a test drive or request a
brochure.
28
4. Renault experienced a high level of brand engagement, with 23% of
consumers interacting with the Renault Laguna Sport Tourer during
the video play.
“Online can play a very key role in brand building,
and as a consequence we have now looked at
remixing our media plan and we are using online
more extensively in our brand building work.”
- Mark Hall, Marketing Director, Toyota GB
The four ways Greenlight Search Marketing helped Autobytel.
co.uk increase quality PPC and reduce their cost per lead:
1. Autobytel.co.uk approached Greenlight Search Engine Marketing to
overhaul their approach to PPC with the purpose of improving the
quality and quantity of enquiries with the aim of also reducing the
cost per lead.
2. Using Greenlight’s Adapt Technology, updates were sent to relevant
ads to reflect changes in real-time, allowing a campaign that is
always current to be created and always 100% accurate and
relevant.
3. A comprehensive keyword analysis resulted in the incorporation
of thousands of relevant search terms being integrated into the
campaign to attract qualified and purchase motivated traffic.
4. Within a month, customer enquiries increased by 200% and the
cost per acquisition lowered by 65 per cent.
Manning Gottlieb OMD make use of online and offline
through sponsorship with the Nissan QASHQAI Guide Listing
Sponsorship Challenge:
1. Nissan approached Manning Gottlieb OMD with the challenge of
raising the credentials of the Nissan QASHQAI, presenting a more
‘urban’ image among a largely male target audience.
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Automotive
2. A content-led engaging campaign was required. The QASHQAI
sponsored sub sections within the Guardian Unlimited site. This
allowed Nissan to reach an audience with a dedicated offline
following, previously untapped online.
3. Further promotion offline was accompanied by online promotion
through sections such as the ‘Urban Mural’ where users were
encouraged to upload images of street art to win a digital camera.
4. MPU and banners were used to drive traffic throughout the
Guardian.co.uk site to the dedicated sponsorship areas which
include theguide, Urban Tribe and Mural. Over 84,000 unique users
visited these microsites.
How Syzygy UK put online at the heart of their campaign for
the launch of the Mazda CX-7:
1. Syzygy used a combination of digital components to support their
brand-building process for the launch of Mazda’s first entry into the
SUV market the CX-7.
2. The media strategy involved
using media placements in
search, on automotive sites
and lifestyle pages along
with a series of websites
and email newsletters to
create an order bank of
paid deposits for the vehicle
and generate a high footfall
to the dealerships on the
day of launch.
3. Internal databases and
external lists were segmented to allow for a strategy that focused on
converting prospects into hot leads.
4. Emails were sent in phases to identified segments of interested
‘hand raisers’ and ‘coming soon’, ‘pre-order’ and ‘launch’ websites
were created to drive leads down the sales funnel.
30
How social media made all the pieces come together
for Honda:
1. In 2008, Honda launched the biggest ever online jigsaw with a
community-oriented focus.
2. The teaser site, www.problemplayground.com let viewers drag
and drop their own specific piece of the puzzle into the proper spot,
then sign up to the site and get a front-row seat to the Feb 4th
launch, coinciding with a TV campaign.
3. The launch featured puzzles about a variety of Honda products,
explaining the technologies and tools behind Honda’s engineering
prowess.
Examples of online conversations around the Jaguar XF
from iCrossing:
“…A beautifully sculptured rear end…” – The Sun
“… The way the engine and box co-operate... is one of the car’s
several dynamic standouts…” – Top Gear
“…Ride & Handling (5 stars out of 5)…” – What Car Online
“…Those headlights look like crap…” – Peewee JaguarForums.com
Below is an illustration displaying the reach of Jaguar XF’s online
network and the varying websites that conversations of authority are
taking place.
31
Automotive
The reviews are in!
NMA site inspections
What the NMA site inspections make of several leading
automotive websites:
Honda Accord
honda.co.uk/accord
Danielle Long - 05/06/08
You can do all the interactive things we’ve come to expect from car
sites, such as creating your own customised model, booking a test
drive and ordering a brochure. As car sites go it does its job nicely,
but given the boundaries Honda has pushed making innovative
TV advertising and its tagline ‘Difficult is worth doing’, it’s a little
lacklustre’.
Scores:
Content
Usability
Branding
Monetisation
Total
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20/25
22/25
23/25
16/25
81/100
Subaru Impreza
subaru.co.uk
Nic Howell - 01/05/08
‘The look and feel is very macho; indeed the whole experience of
using the site is a little intimidating. If you have accessibility needs this
site - and in truth the car - is not for you. But for a target market that
knows Subaru, it’s probably spot-on’.
Scores:
Content
Usability
Branding
Monetisation
Total
15/25
14/25
23/25
16/25
68/100
Volkswagen UK
www.volkswagen.co.uk
‘Car sites are often bloated and confusing, so Volkswagen’s valiant
stab at streamlining the experience is to be applauded. The branding
is superb and there are nice animation touches, such as when cars
drive up to you or when the configurator sprays your car a new
colour’.
33
Automotive
The reviews are in!
Scores:
Content
Usability
Branding
Monetisation
Total
18/25
14/25
25/25
18/25
75/100
Auto Trader Young Drivers
autotrader.co.uk/youngdrivers
‘The Don’t Wreck the Ride brand’ could have been sold harder and
the site could benefit from better instructions. The ‘hot or not’ section,
where people rate one another’s cars, illustrates a tension. Will boy
racers also engage with a safety message?’
Scores:
Content
Usability
Branding
Monetisation
Total
34
18/25
16/25
18/25
18/25
70/100
Mercedes Benz C-Class
c-class.co.uk/home.php
Alex Faber - 28/06/07
‘The site allows you to play a variety of mini-games which livens things
up somewhat. Each game comes with a clear message about how it fits
with the car’s features. They could have been a little more playable, but I
suspect style was prioritised over substance’.
Scores:
Content
Usability
Branding
Monetisation
Total
16/25
17/25
15/25
15/25
53/100
Volvo C3
volvocars.com/freewill
‘This site features a ‘Mouth-off’ game that says anything you type, so
you can get it to say “My car is a tank” if you want. Car sites have to
strike a balance between response and branding - there’s plenty here to
keep you occupied, but I wonder how much footfall the execution will
generate’.
35
Automotive
The reviews are in!
Scores:
Content
Usability
Branding
Monetisation
Total
18/25
17/25
22/25
13/25
70/100
Get Me There
www.getmethere.co.uk
Michael Nutley - 15/02/07
‘Designed to be ‘the best, most independent motorist portal for all UK
drivers’, this site stretches as far as route planning, traffic information
and maps. Although the site is cluttered the Quick Reference Card that
appears on every page is a neat idea and registration, which allows you
to save journeys, is extremely slick’.
Scores:
Content
Usability
Branding
Monetisation
Total
36
20/25
20/25
17/25
20/25
77/100
The information superhighway:
what online road to take
Autos hearts display and here’s why:
1. Rich media is not only being used as a direct response tool (popular
in the early days of the medium) but to impress audiences and
actually drive brand awareness.
2. The interactive opportunities of display allow car brands to make
their ads perform every function that a potential car-buyer may
need, without them even having to leave the site they’re on. The
MPU for Honda shown here for example.
3. Display formats are highly measureable and provide far more
meaningful metrics than a simple click-through rate.
4. Display offers an immersive
brand experience, and more
interaction means better
Return on Investment (ROI)
analysis. Furthermore, all this
can also be fully
integrated with the backend of the client’s site.
Honda MPU
37
Four display advertising tips from MediaVest to help you
harness the power of display advertising when promoting
regional dealerships:
1. The starting point for display advertising activity is to analyse
offline elements of the media schedule, to identify cross channel
opportunities (Auto Trader regional press sites etc).
2. Consider audience duplication, message frequency and consistent
communication in each region. Regional networks must be
leveraged for maximum media value.
3. All regional targeting solutions should be utilised, including - but
not limited to - contextual, behavioural, regional (based on both IP
Address and on Registered User information) and keyword.
4. Creative templates should be created to facilitate the dealerships
amending their own messaging focusing on specific promotions
relevant to them and this process can be automated. Car model,
price, promotion and dealer name will all be included within the
variables that the dealerships control.
The many functions of a car brand’s website. They should:
• Be one of the first ports of call for information about models and
general customer service.
• Allow the option to book test drives, tour the car and learn about its
capabilities.
• Provide an overall experience that matches the brand values and
communications strategy.
• Boast the kind of creative flair often synonymous with traditional
TV advertising – such as the now famous Mercedes A-S site from
Agency Republic for example, and the GT Rhythm of Lines site
for Audi.
38
• Strike the right balance between provoking an emotional
response from your audience in terms of the site experience,
thus encouraging a relationship with your consumer, and actually
delivering what they need.
Catriona Campbell from Foviance – experts in Usability offer there pointers to a great automotive website:
• Try to provide lots of visual explanations of features rather than
relying on text, as people often don’t understand the technical
language. For example most people won’t understand what a rear
acoustic parking system is but would have a better idea if they saw
it in action or even a diagram of how it works.
• Also trying equating details to things people will easily understand.
For example, instead of just saying the boot is 1 cubic metre, it’s
better to also add that it can hold three medium sized suitcases
and the Taj Mahal.
• Different types of users will want different levels of information and
functionality. I think this would really vary across brands but with
Audi I found they were clear levels of engagement; from people
who just want to find out the price, to the techies who wanted to
do everything online. Therefore I think the tip here is that all of the
different user profiles should be catered for.
• A recent Forrester report stated that people are more likely to
purchase a car following certain life-changing events (moving
to a different city or having a baby) and less likely during others
(getting married). They were also more likely to want to buy different
additional extras.
39
Automotive
• The transition between the showroom and the site is currently nonexistent and needs to be improved. Think of the opportunities if the
sales guy at the dealership knew beforehand what the person had
being looking at online?
• Finally, microsites are usually completely separated from the main site
and lack sufficient information. The brands use them as a branding
exercise which is at odds with how users want to use them.
Why automotive marketers should consider search:
Search engines help me...
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Discover new brands
50%
60%
70%
80%
90% 100%
44%
Discover new models
48%
Discover new and
relevant websites
61%
Compare makes
and model
64%
Make more informed
decisions
64%
47%
Find the best price
% - Completely Agree + Agree
Google Gearshift auto
research, June 2007
• 7 in 10 UK auto buyers use a search engine to locate automotive
websites. (Google Gearshift auto research, June 2007)
• 50% of UK in-market consumers stated that they used search
engines to help them discover new brands and models. (Google
Gearshift auto research, June 2007)
40
• 2 in 5 visits to dealerships comes from a search engine. (Hitwise,
March 2008)
• Search engines lead, along with ‘driving past a dealer’, as the most
popular method to locate a dealer (23%) over using a dealer’s
website (19%), a manufacturer’s website (17%), or asking friends
and family (13%). (Google Gearshift auto research, June 2007)
MediaVest’s PPC and natural search strategy tips when
promoting regional dealerships:
• PPC Search is the most effective direct response channel through
which to communicate to potential customers at the price/purchase
stage of the buying cycle and embracing a dual strategy can assist in
catering for national and regional searchers.
• Local Business Ads, supported by Google Maps, must be utilised
appropriately and in support of this, each dealership must have a
bespoke keyword universe that reflects their product database,
ideally, totally flexible and malleable in real time.
• Your agency could provide the dealerships with centrally approved
creative templates that would facilitate the dealerships to amend
the message in real time to reflecting the latest promotions. Both of
these processes could be automated.
• Along with PPC, SEO is a must and the dealership and manufacturer
website structure and set up should be utilised in order to promote
and dominate Google natural search engine results.
• A link strategy can maximise the portfolio of dealership sites and will
help increase the authority of each site and the main hub, to facilitate
natural ranking dominance on all brand related used car searches.
41
Automotive
• An ‘off site’ optimisation strategy would drive up the ranking of all
indexed pages.
• Reputation management and online PR using techniques including,
but not limited to, link baiting, forum submissions and universal
search will enable you to dominate the search engine listings is also
an area to consider.
Steve Bowler, marketing communications manager for
Land Rover:
“Previously, online was recognised as important yet ancillary to TV,
press and outdoor. Now though, we take search very seriously,
working with the search engines to deal with issues like trademarking.”
(Quoted in New Media Age, early 2008 )
How advertisers are benefiting from the strong automotive
classifieds market:
UK Internet traffic to Automotive sites
42
• Classifieds is the largest sub-segment of the automotive sector (see
graph) – gaining the largest weekly market share of UK internet traffic
to automotive sites. They accounted for 36% of all traffic to the sector
in March 2008. (Hitwise, April 2008)
• Of these auto classified sites, eBay Motors is the second most visited
behind Auto Trader UK and commands a 10.11% market share.
(Hitwise, March 2008)
• To put its popularity in perspective, at the time of the millionth car
being sold on eBay Motors in March 2007 it could boast an average
of 3.5 million unique users every month looking at 40,000 vehicles
listed at any one time.
• Hitwise figures from March 2008 report how automotive recreation
websites – car focused leisure sites of which Pistonheads.com
and TopGear.com account for a quarter of all visits - are sending
an increasing amount of traffic to retailers. One in 20 visits to an
automotive classifieds site now comes from the autos recreation
sector.
Why behavioural targeting is a godsend for autos advertisers:
• Car manufacturers are able to monitor anonymous online behaviour
to discover who is likely to be on the market for a new (or used)
vehicle.
• According to Jupiter Research in 2006: “Advertisers of products
with long purchase cycles (e.g. automotive) will more likely use
behavioural targeting than will their counterparts in other vertical
sectors (29% vs. 12%).”
• People who visit car sites for example, will be identified as ‘in market’
and shown car ads accordingly. Similarly, customers who have visited
a car site can be retargeted by that brand elsewhere. This means
that your budget can decrease whilst your ROI improves dramatically.
43
Automotive
Why is in-game advertising good for car brands?
From Microsoft Advertising:
• Male gamers aged 18-34 years have a larger amount of product
knowledge than the general population and are very likely to talk to
others about their product opinions.
• Male18-34 gamers expect advertising to be entertaining far more
than the general population.
• This segment is significantly more likely than Male 18-34 nongamers to keep up with auto technology and to buy new cars that
are eye-catching with the latest features.
• Male gamers are 29% more likely than non-gamers to normally buy
new cars.
• Gamers are proven to form popular opinions about new cars.
• 55% of those who saw the in-game adverts for the Ford ST (see
image below) said it left them with a more positive opinion of Ford.
Source: Advertising
research conducted by
Continental Research
on behalf of Massive/
Microsoft Advertising,
2007-2008; TGI Europa
Feb 2008: Gamers
defined as console
gamers that have that
have also bought a
new console or games
software in the past 12
months, or PC gamers.;
Base: all European
adults aged 15+
44
Microsoft Advertising show that “car researchers are video
junkies”:
• Across MSN, car researchers consume video content twice as much
as an average internet user.
• Downloading music and film are fundamental to their internet usage.
• Car researchers are 96% more likely to share video content by peerto-peer networks than the average internet user.
• They are 66% more likely to upload videos created to the web than
the average internet user.
• Are 64% more likely to download films from the web than the average
internet user.
• They are less likely to visit social networking sites.
(MSN Portal Profiler study 2008 with Holden Permain)
45
Automotive
Online really works:
IAB brand engagement
study
“We found the methodology – of the IAB Brand
Engagement Study -to be a very different way of
analysing how our communication was actually
working, really getting under the skin of the messages
that we were delivering to the consumer, and
understanding which parts were working and how
they were working, and therefore we could make a
more informed decision as to which media we used,
and which message we delivered through that media.”
- Jonathan Wignail, National Advertising Manager, Renault
IAB and ævolve brand engagement study – small car market
The IAB Brand Engagement study was a joint research project
conducted with ævolve that examined the effectiveness of online
against other media, as well as wider influences like brand ownership,
reading reviews, or recommendations from friends.
What did we focus on?
Advertising campaigns from the supermini car sector:
• Renault Clio
• Toyota Aygo
• Nissan Micra
• Ford Fiesta
• MINI
46
What were our objectives?
• To demonstrate the ability of internet advertising to drive
engagement
• To measure the effects of internet advertising on brand strength
relative to other media
• To identify how internet advertising works alongside other brand
contacts to increase brand consideration
What was our sample?
• 1,000 females
• Who were internet users
• W ith with children under 16
• A ‘non-techie’ audience
What are the most important contributors to brand
engagement for this audience?
• Style 40%
• Fun 24%
• Ad salience 12%
• Stature 7%
• Function 8%
(amongst other, smaller, factors)
How many ads did we show them?
A total of 46 separate ads in the study, split across the 5 test brands,
and across 5 different media channels:
• 15 press ads
• 15 online ads
• 7 TV ads, plus 2 TV sponsorship idents
• 6 outdoor ads
• And 1 radio ad
47
Automotive
Online really works.
IAB brand engagement study
What did we find out?
• The brand’s own advertising contributed 15% to brand engagement.
• W ithin this, the internet has a greater effect on brand engagement
than any other medium, contributing an average of 39.8% of
the advertising effect, but as much as 64.7% in the case of one
manufacturer’s campaign.
• Press advertising has the second greatest influence, contributing
36.7% of total consumer engagement.
• Next was TV with 17.6% and outdoor with 4.1%.
What drives consumer engagement with a car brand?
• Direct experience of a brand, such as owning a particular model, holds
considerable sway over a consumer’s engagement with a car brand.
• Indirect experiences – reading reviews, word of mouth, etc – play an
important role as well.
• Of these indirect experiences online contributed 27.5% of the effect
on engagement.
• Offline experiences, like reading magazine reviews or watching
specialist TV programmes, contributed 19.0%.
• Dealerships, whether on the phone or visiting in person, delivered
19.4%.
• Other influences, like opinions directly from friends, have the most
influence accounting for 34.2%.
48
So why is online as effective as reaching women with
children as traditional media?
• The online campaigns study recorded an average recognition
level of 23%
• Outdoor was 18%
• Press was 25%
• W ith TV at 44%
Average recognition of ads in different
media channels tested in the study
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Automotive
do’s & don’ts
Do - enable the consumer to feel the car online. Digital creativity
and technology are such that you are able to offer an experience
within your internet advertising and website.
Do - monitor word of mouth. There are hundreds upon thousands
of conversations about your brand online, and you should get
involved where appropriate.
Do - use online to raise awareness, exploiting the exceptional
reach of the medium. MINI for example have created some
exceptional viral campaigns to promote the launch of new models.
Do - target your consumers to drive sales. By monitoring their
online behaviour using targeting techniques, you can drastically
improve your return on investment.
Do - be prepared to try something new, but don’t succumb to
bandwagons. Some auto brands have dabbled in podcasts,
launched their own blogs and even developed internet TV
properties, but they should only be employed with your audience
in mind whilst being totally in keeping with your brand values.
50
Don’t - simply throw your TV ads online. Even though bigger,
faster broadbrand means that video technology has come along
in leaps and bounds, tailor your messages to the medium and
play to its strengths.
Don’t - always go with the obvious. Consumers won’t
automatically search for an auto brand or a model, and search
terms such as ‘big boot’ or ‘cheap family car’ may be equally
as popular.
Don’t - assume that click-throughs are essential. With online
display advertising you are able to provide information and
capture data without consumers even having to leave the page
their on.
Don’t - simply put your brochure online. Some car brands
such as Mercedes and Audi have really pushed the boundaries
in terms of what a dedicated microsite can offer consumers in
terms of creativity and experience, whilst also meeting all the
key requirements, such as offering test drives and providing
essential information.
Don’t - shy away from unfamiliar forms of marketing such as
in-game advertising, which is a relatively new tool to reach your
consumers but - as research has shown - can be great for
car brands.
51
Automotive online
Acknowledgements
Contributors
Ben Butler
Content Manager, IAB
Chloe Chadwick
Marketing Executive, IAB
Amy Kean
Senior PR and Marketing Manager, IAB
Adam Oldfield
Web Assistant, IAB
Sorcha Proctor
Research Manager, IAB
With thanks to…
iCrossing, AOL, NMA, AutoTrader,
Harvest Digital, Advertising.com, TMW,
Publicis Modem, Incentivated, Coull,
Greenlight Search Marketing, Manning
Gottlieb OMD, Syzygy, MediaVest,
Foviance, Microsoft Advertising, ævolve,
comScore Media Metrix, Ford Motor
Company UK, Global Review, Hitwise,
HPI Research, BMRB, Nielsen Buzz
Metrics, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young,
Google Gearshift, Network Q, Yahoo!
52
automotive
The automotive industry is now the second largest
spender online. Manufacturers, dealers and
consumers alike have recognised the internet’s
power to aid the car purchase process. In this, the
first instalment in the IAB’s vertical box set series,
we have gathered together the most recent statistics,
consumer insights, case studies and other weird,
wonderful but ultimately useful information
on the automotive sector online.
14 Macklin Street, London WC2B 5NF
tel: +44 (0)20 7050 6969 • fax: +44 (0)20 7242 9928 • email: [email protected]

automotive

Transcription

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