Car Advertising Booms Online as Companies Target Engaged Consumers

Automotive advertising on mobile is booming, with more advertisers spending more money to reach potential customers via their phones.

That’s one of the key findings of a new study, Mobile Insights for Automotive Brands, commissioned by Millennial Media with comScore Automotive. The number of automotive advertisers using mobile has jumped 169 per cent in the past year, to 33,277, while spending has increased by 236 per cent.

In Q2 this year, advertisers’ main goal with this increase in budget was to support new product launches. Beyond this, automotive advertisers were also trying to increase overall brand awareness, and reach consumers who may not currently be in the market for a new car. “Sustained In-Market Presence / Brand Awareness” was the campaign goal for 19 per cent of all automotive campaigns that ran with Millennial Media in Q2.

Millennial Media found that the most effective mobile campaigns were those with a continuing presence, driving brand equity at all stages with bursts timed to key events and strengthened by advertising that prompted a particular action.

This was reflected in 19 per cent of campaigns also being aimed at driving brand awareness and increasing foot traffic at dealerships. Compared to all other advertisers, automotive advertisers implemented site search, dealer/store locator, and view map actions in their mobile ads at much higher rates.

The study also shows the audience for automotive content on mobile is very engaged. Among consumers who view auto content on their phone, 31 per cent access the content once a week, and 21 per cent access the content almost every day. The majority of mobile users (59 per cent) are choosing to access automotive content via a browser, with 25 per cent choosing to use apps, although this figure is up from 20 per cent a year ago.