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Facebook Automotive Advertising
From our research some examples of case studies for Facebook's OEM automotive advertising efforts include Hyundai and Cars.com & Constellation Agency using Facebook's launch of dynamic ads for auto dealerships. Findings of our research are detailed below.

FACEBOOK DYNAMIC ADS FOR AUTO DEALERSHIPS AND HYUNDAI

• Facebook introduced dynamic ads for auto dealerships in 2017.
• Facebook's dynamic ads launched in 2017 retarget people based on their browsing history and a Facebook tracking pixel.
• A Hyundai dealership recently used Facebook's automotive inventory ads to achieve its goal of generating promising leads.
• The dealership sells and finances Hyundai autos and also services new and used Hyundai autos.

OVERVIEW OF ADVERTISING MESSAGE

• The campaign involved uploading dealer inventory and installation of the Facebook pixel (which logs customer website activity).
• The ads displayed images based on:
• precisely the cars in which the customer had expressed an interest
• cars similar to the ones in which the customer expressed interest, or
• cars in which similar customers had expressed an interest
• For customers who visited the dealership, the campaign retargeted them with ads displaying models in which the customer expressed an interest.
• The ad also included a "Sign up for a test drive" call to action (CTA).

Customers who clicked the CTA button and completed the form became CRM (customer relationship management) leads for sales to contact.

CHANNELS USED

• The 3-month campaign used a Facebook marketing partner along with the following:
• Custom Audiences (customers, contacts)
• Lookalike Audiences (to find similar people)
• Dynamic Ads (non-manual personalization)

SUCCESS METRICS / ROI

• The campaign goal was to generate promising leads.
• The presentation of the campaign results described the campaign as "Simplifying sales" and achieving metrics.
• The metrics used to determine ROI were number of leads, number of sales, and percentage of Facebook traffic, as follows:
• 1,110 leads generated (July – September 2018)
• 65 sales
• 22% of website traffic sourced to Facebook
• the presentation of campaign results also mentioned that the campaign "influenced thousands of potential customers"

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A further iteration of Facebook's automotive dynamic ads allows targeting based on user visits across the web (rather than only the advertiser's website).
Hyundai was recently listed in the Top 5 in an auto OEM and auto market analysis.

FACEBOOK AND CARS.COM AND CONSTELLATION AGENCY
Cars.com did a beta test of inventory ads in summer 2018.
Constellation agency also did beta testing in 2017.

OVERVIEW OF ADVERTISING MESSAGE
The site was "constantly testing" with new as copy, varied calls to action, and different ways of showing inventory.

CHANNELS USED
Cars.com used the Facebook tool to generate carousel ads based on dealership listings and the cars.com database of new and used autos (almost 5 million vehicles).
The beta used carousel ads which included several photos featuring different dealerships.

SUCCESS METRICS / ROI

• The number of Cars.com dealer leads during the beta test almost tripled.
• Constellation Agency found the ad's prospecting capability to be valuable and has expanded it, since then, to the national level.
• Constellation Agency described the results as creating VIN-specific leads.
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• Google Automotive Advertising
• The Google's OEM automotive advertising efforts are exampled by INFINITI, Hyundai UK and Renault.

Overview

• As people started to research in their smartphones about the auto models, find deals, and get real-time advice in Google search, then Google launched in March 2016 a new search AdWords format for automotive ads for OEMs such as Toyota and Honda.
• The AdWords format is called Google Model Automotive ads, a new mobile ad format now available to all OEM automotive advertisers. It is originally only available in the US. 
• The Model Automotive ads come up for searches around OEM's brand name, models, dealers, including images, a link to the official site, current offers on the model and a link to local dealers on Google Maps.

2019 — INFINITI

•  INFINITI wanted to generate new demand and it needed to stand out and engage users to face strong competition.
• The INFINITI team knew that they needed truly meaningful ads and work with the Google Marketing Platform and OMD and resulted in the making of cost-efficient production of 432,000 ad variants.
• The goal is to generate new demand and build a personalized online user experience, also to deliver traffic to INFINITI website with maximum cost efficiency.
• Effort: By using the Google Marketing Platform creative tool, Studio, Google made ads for eight countries, nine models, four unique selling points, five user profiles, two languages, three calls to action and ten creative sizes. Previously the team consist of Studio and Display and Video 360 created user segments to drive these personalized messages.
• Result: 432,000 ad variants were generated and increased click-through rate by 167% and led 139% more clicks to site and reduced cost per click by 63%.
• 2018 and 2017 — Renault
• The Italian brand Renault in 2017 realized that consumer journey includes several search ads before making a purchase, Renault wanted to understand which clicks were delivering the most impact so that they could invest more efficiently and maximize returns.
• Effort: By working together with OMD, Renault Italia SpA switched to a data-driven attribution model in AdWords. The data driven attribution model include sophisticated algorithms that evaluate all the different paths taken during consumer journey in Renault’s account and found out which touchpoints were the most influential.
• That resulted in improved conversion rate by 70% and reduced cost per acquisition by 47%.
• In 2018 Renault tried to improve campaign performance and deliver personally relevant brand stories at scale and roll out approach across Groupe Renault EMEA markets. To do so, Goupe Renault partnered with OMD, Adylic and DoubleClick to make Digital Marketing suite to make the right ad to the right person at the right time.
• The result is 49% lower cost per lead and 100% higher click-through rate, with 66% better engagement rate.

2016 — Hyundai UK

• The goal is to increase brand awareness and lift consumer consideration for the Hyundai brand and finally push people to visit and buy Hyundai in Hyundai's 157 dealers in UK.
• Effort: Google’s Annual Auto Shopper Study did prior research and found that 63% of all UK test drives were done by a person with no appointment previously, only 22% made appointment first and they did it via the online booking form. So, they suggest to make implemented store visits in AdWordsRan test campaign by having two branded keyword campaigns.
• To increase the sales, a store visits test was set to run on two branded keyword campaigns in Hyundai UK’s AdWords account.
• They resulted to 303,131 monthly website visits and 7,980 monthly visits to physical retail locations and 3.4% increase of paid clicks and 4.9% increase of paid mobile clicks and resulted in retailer visits and gain 1,737% return on the ad spend.
• The test ran for six weeks, with a 30-day lookback window to enable reporting of clicks that might still register a visit to a dealer.

Amazon Automotive Advertising

• Amazon collaborated with Jeep and GM after success with recent pilot launches in Europe with Fiat, Opel, and Hyundai and indications of them taking the business to the UK. These types of partnerships are part of Amazon's intention to incorporate all elements of their customers lives from food to homes to cars. These marketing efforts use cross-channel activations that use an experience factor, something that younger audiences prefer to have with brands over digital channels. GM advertising launch on millions of boxes just occurred in January and there are no available metrics regarding the effort yet. Amazon provides unique channels such as branding of boxes to be seen by its customers and anyone who views the boxes, offering smart products to enhance product capabilities, and in-car delivery to certain vehicles. Below are some examples of Amazon's advertising efforts with Jeep and GM. 

JEEP AND AMAZON FIND A WAY

• Jeep collaborated with the Amazon Advertising team for the launch of the new UConnectAlexa capability in Jeep's Tech Connect package. They created a custom video to show its seamless integration, real-time monitoring, and time-saving potential of the Alexa skill. It was run with digital media by Jeep and on Amazons DSP and Fire Tablet.
• Amazon also ran a co-branded campaign with Universal to announce their partnership with Jeep and used Jeep Wranglers to escort a huge Jurassic World box. Amazon used the combination of the brands' power, and combined experimental, video, voice tech and social media. People were able to scan a SmileCode through the Amazon mobile app and search for clues as to the box's contents on Twitter.
• Amazon Find a Way campaign saw the delivery of Amazon's biggest box at 40' L x 14' 9" H x 14' W. The box was escorted by a motorcade of Jeep Wranglers from the port of Los Angeles and The Grove shopping mall. The campaign received 50.8 million impressions. The campaign won 2018 Campaign of the Year from the Dive Awards.
• The TechConnect gives a number of capabilities such as remotely using voice to start and stop car engines, lock and unlock doors, send directions, and monitor the mechanics of the vehicle.
• Customers who purchased a Jeep Cherokee Latitude received a free Amazon Echo Dot to enable the enhanced capabilities, a three-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan and a three-month subscription to Audible. The promotion gives Amazon more data to apply to their other business areas and promotion for its devices and music service while Jeep ensures it customers are able to take advantage of significant capabilities that will continue to increase in the future. 

GM

• GM collaborated with Amazon for part of their marketing campaign for the Chevy Silverado. The campaign included a new technique of advertising on 7.1 million Amazon home delivery boxes, a first for the automotive industry. The boxes feature a picture of the truck breaking through the box with slogan of "The Strongest, most Advanced Silverado Ever" on the front and "Introducing The All New Chevy Silverado" on top. The boxes are touted as being "completely non-skippable media" that is visually seen by the recipients and passersby.
• Their marketing campaign was also spread across different platforms including TV, radio, and print. The truck was also featured on Amazon's homepage.
• They used Amazon In-Car Delivery partnership program which allows delivery of packages directly to Silverado or other GM vehicles using an app and On Star and is available in 37 cities.
• GM does not release information about what it spends on marketing or ROI but does cite that the spend for the new Silverado will be significant.