The global automotive manufacturing market was worth $2.7 trillion in 2021 and is expected to grow to $2.8 trillion this year. With various technological advancements taking place in the industry, there is no shortage of opportunities in the automobile sector.
However, the various new emerging realities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have forced automotive brands to adopt an out-of-the-box approach to deal with the new challenges. This requires them to utilize all available marketing channels, especially Facebook- the biggest marketing platform, to get their product in front of their target audience.
As automotive brands continue to brace themselves for the road ahead, they can take a leaf out of these successful Facebook campaigns executed by these three automotive brands.
1. Hyundai Australia
Ever since it was established in 1967 in South Korea, Hyundai has expanded into 193 countries, including Australia where it has become a popular car brand and offers 15 models.
Their Objective
Hyundai Australia wanted to see if the platform could help it drive awareness, engagement, and leads for its vehicles.
Solution & Approach
Hyundai Australia worked closely with its media agency, Hearts & Sciences, and creative agency, Innocean, to create an effective campaign using lead generation in Messenger. Hyundai Australia created and ran ads that clicked to Messenger and opened an automated lead generation experience. The ads included a clear CTA that helped people know that they’d be clicking into a Messenger experience instead of a website.
Upon entering the lead generation experience, users were asked if they were interested in any specific model from the ad. This was followed by a series of questions that people answered by using quick reply buttons and could easily submit their contact information. If the visitor wasn’t interested in any of the models from the ad, they were directed from Messenger to Hyundai Australia’s website and the conversation in Messenger ended.
The Result
Hyundai Australia’s Facebook campaign was a major hit and helped them generate leads at a 27% lower cost than previous campaigns.
2. Volkswagen Malaysia
Volkswagen is one of the world’s most popular car manufacturers in the world, including in Malaysia, where it has over 50,000 cars on the roads.
Their Objective
Volkswagen was looking for a cost-effective approach for successful digital lead generation campaigns for test drives in Malaysia.
Approach & Solution
Volkswagen ran a lead generation campaign for test drives on Facebook using automotive inventory ads for prospecting. These ads allow car manufacturers and dealerships to re-engage people who had shown interest in a specific model.
To generate more test-drive leads, the car brand first created a series of ad sets by uploading images of all its available models onto Facebook and then created a Custom Audience of people who had previously viewed any of Volkswagen’s cars on its website.
The campaign used inventory ads for prospecting, which automatically customized each ad to display the exact model a person had viewed people who clicked on the ads were directed to a landing page on the Volkswagen site where they could sign up for a free test-drive with that model.
The Result
Volkswagen Malaysia’s Facebook campaign performed outstandingly well, leading to a 22% lower cost per lead and 47% lower cost per click compared to their previous campaigns. Also, they experienced a 28% higher lead conversion.
3. INFINITI Korea
INFINITI is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Nissan that was created in the U.S. in 1989 and has a presence in over 50 countries, including Russia, China, and Korea.
Their Objective
INFINITI Korea wanted to nurture its leads for purchase by driving its brand presence in Korea and raising awareness of the INFINITI QX60 car.
Solution & Approach
INFINITI teamed up with Facebook for its digital campaign. By working closely with its local and regional teams, INFINITI used a full-funnel strategy to connect with people throughout their purchase journey. To drive awareness around INFINITI QX60, INFINITI Korea used mobile-first video ads featuring the car’s key highlights to attract people and deliver impactful messaging.
INFINITI Korea also used Instant Experience to showcase INFINITI QX60 in a full-screen, mobile-optimized ad format. The ad captured the viewers’ attention with an immersive experience of sitting in the car. It allowed people to learn everything about INFINITI QX60 while watching engaging videos, without leaving Facebook.
INFINITI Korea also came up with a series of photo and video ads that highlighted the car’s features, each with a clear CTA, and served them in a carousel format. The brand identified people using a data-driven marketing approach.
The Result
INFINITI Korea’s Facebook campaign was a major success and resulted in 14.7% more sales than their goal. While there was a 4.5X increase in average monthly leads, the website traffic increased by 3X. Also, there was a 14-point lift in INFINITI’s ad recall.
Bottom Line
Facebook is undeniably the most popular marketing platform today for quite some time. With its broad range of features like photo and video ads, custom and lookalike audiences, Instant Experience, and ads in stories, Facebook can give any brand the essential facelift that they need to make a mark in today’s fiercely competitive landscape. All that you need is a solid marketing plan and impressive content to back it up with.