In challenging times, it is often a tried and tested, back to basics approach that can deliver stronger brand engagement and capture share from competitors. In an Australian market that sees 57 brands fighting for a slice of the new car pie, carsales Brand Terms Buyout is one of the safest investments a brand can make as part of their ‘always on’ marketing strategy.
“In the current car buying landscape where a flat new car market is juxtaposed by strong activity on carsales, investing in results-focused solutions such as Brand Terms Buyout is a smart and proven play,” explains carsales State Manager (VIC & SA – Auto OEM & Media) Luca D’Alessandro.
Browsers to Buyers
“carsales is the destination where consumers make the definitive step from browsers to buyers. It’s Australia’s largest and most engaged audience of car buyers. The power of Brand Terms Buyout is that it can reinforce key brand messages—at scale—in the most qualified decision making space which is the search results page.
“Given the time that the average car buyer spends browsing carsales—over 40 minutes per month¹—there is plenty of opportunity for brands to influence buyers in the critical moments spent on the search results page.
“During this 40 minutes, buyers are researching all manner of brands and vehicles. They have an open mindset. We know from our data that the average buyer views 32 new cars, across 8 different models and 5 different brands, before placing an enquiry on a new car.
“Buyers also spend so much of their research time when dealers are closed for trade. In July 2019, over 52% of carsales sessions occurred outside of traditional 9am–5pm business hours.²
“As a consequence, your Brand Terms Buyout message is visible and working hard for you no matter when and where the buyer is searching for their next car on carsales. There is no waste.”
Closing the loop
Contextual online marketplaces can be beneficiaries of above the line activity designed to increase awareness of a brand or model, as buyers consider taking a closer look in a familiar and trustworthy online environment.
“Significant above the line investment by automakers will often coincide with an uplift in brand and model searches on carsales, as Australia’s most known, preferred and trusted destination for cars,” explains D’Alessandro.
“In the new car space, we’re seeing that buyers are searching for the vehicles that they’ve seen in prominent above the line campaigns, but when they start searching they’re still undecided and very open to influence.
“In essence, Brand Terms Buyout and above the line spend go hand in hand. The solution enables you to continue the conversation in a highly contextual and targeted environment—and extract maximum return from your above the line spend.”
Attack and defend
Despite being inundated by messages, Australians tend to look at mobile web display ads for longer than other nations, and ranked third globally for desktop ads.
“At carsales, the consumer experience is paramount so only high-quality, results-driven placements are available. The beauty of Brand Terms Buyout is that it adds value to the consumer experience on carsales and can spur instantaneous action—whether that is more enquiries to your dealer network or more engagement on your OEM website,” D’Alessandro added.
“Furthermore, Brand Terms Buyout is available for booking up to 12 months in advance. You can purchase the key territory next to popular searches involving your competitors to capture share and interest, or choose to ‘lock up’ the space next to search results showcasing your own models to maintain buyer attention and push them further down their purchase journey,” concludes D’Alessandro.
Sources: 1. Nielsen Digital Content Ratings, August 2019. 2. carsales internal data, July 2019.
