automotive

Facebook Launches Marketing Campaign Aimed At Automakers

Facebook showed automakers examples of how to make use of the social media platform in an exhibit during the Los Angeles auto show media preview last week. 

In addition to the onsite presence, Facebook is kicking off an automotive campaign. It aims to bring the LA experience online with an on- and off-platform digital campaign and the launch of an online hub featuring an auto creative best practices manual.

The goal of the campaign (produced in a partnership between Facebook’s Creative Shop and video production house Ghost Robot) is to showcase video and mobile opportunities for auto marketers across Facebook and Instagram. This is the first time Facebook Auto has run a marketing campaign.

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At the LA show, attendees learned best practices at Story School, then put their education into practice through a series of installations that offer content for Story and video creation. Attendees learned  how to string together a story, add filters, and even use dynamic video effects like Rewind, Hands Free and Boomerang.

Acura's Messenger Bot was on display, giving marketers an opportunity to see the possibilities of reaching their audiences with Messenger.

The purpose of an automobile is to move; to be in motion. And the moving picture is at the core of Facebook’s tools, specifically video and Stories.

Auto brands are some of the world’s best storytellers, says Chiwei Lee, auto vertical lead, Creative Shop at Facebook

“We wanted to inspire that community to bring their storytelling super power to mobile,” Lee tells Marketing Daily. “This is why the Facebook Creative Shop team created the campaign: ‘It’s a Great Day to Play with Cars.’ It empowers auto marketers and creatives with the essentials to better connect with their customers, drive their brands and sell more cars -- and have a little more fun on mobile.”

Facebook recently worked with Volkswagen on a campaign to launch its newest Jetta model. The automaker wanted to rekindle love for one of its most iconic vehicles and focused on targeting music enthusiasts.

The Volkswagen team, in collaboration with the creative agency Deutsch, developed a dozen video spots that brought the Jetta to life by combining state-of-the-art 3-D computer-generated design with a color palette inspired by the vehicle’s available 10-color ambient lighting system. 

In addition to in-person pop-ups and influencers, PHD, the Media AOR, identified the Facebook family of apps, in particular, Instagram Stories, as the best platform to showcase the short-form content. As a result, the Jetta campaign outperformed VW benchmarks on ad recall (+17 points) and familiarity (+9 points), and moved purchase intent by 5 points.

“Understanding that users consume media differently on Instagram Stories, we wanted to generate impactful short-form creative that would be disruptive and thumb-stopping,” says Jen Clayton, Volkswagen, director, brand and marketing communications. “This approach led to one of our most successful social campaigns to date.”

Besides highlighting a vehicle, there are other automotive applications for Facebook and Instagram, including during the buying process, according to the company.

Facebook IQ recently commissioned Accenture to survey 1,036 U.S. auto consumers ages 18 and older to help marketers understand the mindset of today’s omni-channel vehicle shopper.

The study found mobile devices are redefining the ways people shop for cars with 63% of car buyers discovering new vehicles online, and 30% discover new vehicles and brands on their smartphones or tablets. Thirty-six percent of users discover new automobiles through the Facebook family of apps.

Social media plays an important role in automobile discovery with 78% of auto respondents finding some type of social media content useful when deciding on a purchase. The study showed that 52% of women cited sharing auto-related content, compared to 47% of men.

Final purchases are still made offline, but this is changing for younger consumers. Currently, 79% of auto consumers buy or plan to buy in a dealership, compared to just 20% who buy or plan to buy online. However, with auto consumers ages 18–34, the numbers skewed lower, with 71% saying they purchased or plan to purchase in a dealership and 27% who buy or plan to buy online

Auto consumers want post-purchase engagement with 86% of respondents saying they'd like some type of engagement with their auto brand after purchasing a car, according to the study.

1 comment about "Facebook Launches Marketing Campaign Aimed At Automakers".
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  1. Rajat Khandelwal from Carlo, January 17, 2019 at 3:43 a.m.

    Yes i m too much satisfied with your Article. After Facebook campaign We  received a Lots off Business. If you want to buy or sell your used car or Buy a new car please visit https://www.carlo.in

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