• by Karl Greenberg , September 23, 2015

Almost all car shoppers now do their research online, typically on third-party sites and, of course, the manufacturer's web site. More and more, this activity is happening on mobile devices. And in recent months, most of it has been around crossovers and SUVs. Hyundai and its agency, Innocean, have launched a mobile campaign addressing both trends. 

It's an online quiz on Instagram that involves people talking about their lifestyle choices, not the vehicle choice. Hyundai then provides the right vehicle based on answers to the questions. The effort focuses on Santa Fe, Santa Fe Sport, and the all-new Hyundai Tucson. 

Jon Budd, Hyundai Motor America's senior group manager of new media, tells Marketing Daily that the platform reflects a focus at the agency on digital and social marketing strategy, with an ability to do real-time tracking all the way to retail.  

He says the lifestyle quiz involves 18 Instagram accounts comprising hundreds of images, some of the stock, but a lot of them shot by Innocean’s StoryLab shop. Participants move to advancing sections of the quiz by answering lifestyle questions. Each features a visual and a click tag that moves you to the next question. The first is the one thing you don't leave home without; then where you'd rather be; and your favorite pastime; and then you click again to reveal the Hyundai SUV based on your choices. It also delves into that vehicle's features and a lead generator where you click to get directed to a local dealer. Players can go to the Hyundai_Quiz_Start handle to begin, but the platform is also accessible on laptop. 

At the end of the quiz, users can scroll horizontally to find out more about their Hyundai SUV along with an overview of the vehicles’ features. Innocean also extends the campaign to Twitter via Innocean's partnership with that social media app. The quiz was assembled and produced completely in-house.

J.D. Power and Associates' New Autoshopper study release earlier this month finds that over half of new-vehicle Internet shoppers use a mobile device—tablet or smartphone—to conduct automotive research on the Internet to help them find the right vehicle, at the right dealer for the right price. The study says that since 2012, the use of tablets for automotive shopping has increased by 83% and smartphone automotive shopping has increased by 70%. More than half (51%) of new-vehicle shoppers use a mobile device to gather automotive information prior to purchase. In particular, 34% of new-vehicle shoppers use a smartphone for automotive research and 33% use a tablet.

The study also says that more new-vehicle shoppers are entering the process with a specific make or model in mind. Nearly half know either the exact make or model they initially want and purchase it. That's up from 43% two years ago.
A 2014 report from digital intelligence firm L2 says mobile is central in every stage of the purchasing process for cars. The firm's Digital IQ Index:Auto says automotive brands are spending on social media at a higher rate than brands in other product categories. And that average community growth for auto brands on Instagram jumped 152% last year, with an average engagement level of 2.68%. The second highest average engagement level was .21% on Pinterest. One study of social-driven leads found 15% of social conversations converted to test drives.