Creating compelling, effective video ads is as much an art as it is a science. In the latest Adweek webinar series, Trent Thacker, Sr. Director of the Research and Market Intelligence team at Cox Automotive and Peter Daboll, Chief of Strategy and Insights at iSpot, revealed how Cox Automotive uses video ad testing at every stage of the creative process to ensure their TV and video ads resonate with their target audiences.
Revving Up Auto Resale Ads: Striking the Balance Between Entertainment and Information
Cox Automotive, known for its brands like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, operates in the auto services category, navigating a complex market with a diverse range of competitors. In order to overcome this challenge of appealing to consumers as well as advertisers (eg. car dealerships), the auto service brand uses iSpot Creative Assessment to guarantee their ads are hitting the appropriate emotions.
iSpot auto resale industry data revealed that, ad to ad, performance scores varied 32% to 47% over the past year – the largest gap was in the important Information delivery area. This indicates that some auto resale ads excel in building brand awareness and driving results, while others miss the mark — sometimes even eliciting negative reactions.
How Cox Automotive Leverages iSpot in their Data-Driven Approach to Video Advertising
With such a diverse audience and varied stages of car-buying readiness, creating effective video ads demands meticulous attention to messaging and emotional resonance. Cox Automotive recognizes that their ads must serve multiple purposes: build brand awareness across all age groups while specifically targeting vehicle intenders, those who are likely to make a purchase within six months. Crafting ads that evoke appropriate emotions and resonate with consumers as well as advertisers is vital.
To ensure ads are hitting the mark, Cox Automotive trusts iSpot to measure creative effectiveness and gather comprehensive quantitative and qualitative insights. Rather than only conducting post-campaign evaluations, Cox Automotive integrates iSpot into the creative development process to gauge audience resonance, emotional impact, and alignment with brand values before ads ever air.
Cox Automotive follows a methodical and iterative approach throughout pre-market stages to create impactful video ads.
- Concept Testing: Initial concepts are tested with consumers and client partners to ensure they represent the brand well and convey relevant information.
- Storyboard Testing: Refined concepts are transformed into storyboards or animatics, which are evaluated through iSpot for further improvements.
- Rough Cut Testing: The rough cut of the ad is tested with both consumers and client partners to fine-tune specific emotions.
- Final Cut Testing: The final version of the ad is tested using iSpot, ensuring it aligns with performance goals and resonates with the target audience.
Ensuring Emotional Resonance With Video Ads
Cox Automotive recognizes the significance of emotional resonance in their ads. For Kelley Blue Book, trust and credibility are crucial emotions, considering the brand’s role as a reliable source of vehicle information. Autotrader, on the other hand, balances product information with humor to appeal to consumers during the car buying process, making it an enjoyable experience. Through iSpot, Cox Automotive is able to test video creatives to guarantee that the correct emotions are resonating with the target audiences for both Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader.
For Cox Automotive, testing emotional impact became crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brand needed to closely monitor emotional responses to ads to ensure they were appropriate and relevant during this sensitive period, further demonstrating the importance of iSpot’s data-driven creative insights.
How Cox Automotive Ensured Positive Celebrity Impact Within Ad Creative
As an example, Cox Automotive showcased insights from their comprehensive testing for the Autotrader “Only Reason” campaign with Kenan Thompson. For this ad, the Cox Automotive team wanted to confirm that the use of this particular celebrity aligned with the brand, positively impacted the ad and conveyed an appropriate level of information. The iSpot results confirmed that Kenan Thompson was a great selection and resonated well with consumers. Additionally, Cox Automotive leveraged iSpot data to test multiple versions/cuts of the “Only Reason” ad, which the brand was able to deploy throughout the life of the campaign.
An iSpot data point that Cox Automotive keeps a close eye on is polarity. Car shopping is something that almost everyone does multiple times throughout their lives. Cox Automotive wants to ensure that consumers understand that their brands are great resources for anyone and everyone that is in the market to purchase a vehicle. Because of this, the brand looks closely at polarity to guarantee that they aren’t causing any harm to the Kelly Blue Book or Autotrader brands. Keeping in mind that this is also important because Cox Automotive has an obligation to the advertisers on their sites to make sure they are painted in a positive light.
With the Autotrader ads especially, Cox Automotive wants to interject elements of humor and fun into the creative. The car shopping and buying process can be a bit arduous, but at the end of the day Cox Automotive believes it should be a fun and satisfying experience when handed the keys of ar new vehicle The Kenan Thompson campaign demonstrates the balance of information and lightheartedness that Cox Automotive is trying to incorporate into their ads and iSpot helps them achieve this.
Ultimately, Cox Automotive’s partnership with iSpot has allowed them to optimize their creative development process, resulting in impactful video ads. By leveraging data-driven insights, understanding audience emotions, and conducting rigorous testing, Cox Automotive excels in crafting ads that connect with consumers, build brand awareness, and stand out in the competitive auto services category. Their approach serves as a valuable lesson for advertisers seeking to create compelling and effective video ad campaigns in a dynamic and ever-changing landscape.
Want the full story? Watch the full Adweek webinar with Trent Thacker below.