Carsales is shifting its marketing focus to snackable, digital content on Facebook and YouTube to drive consumer engagement.
In its latest campaign, which launched last week, content has been optimised for social platforms rather than TV, a departure from previous marketing efforts.
“As a digital company it makes sense for us to create a digital-first campaign. There’s no denying the engagement on Facebook and YouTube so we thought it was a natural fit to invest our media dollar," Carsales chief marketing officer Kellie Cordner tells AdNews.
“We haven’t stepped away from TV completely. There is a TV component of this campaign, but we have recognised this story is best told on different mediums.”
The campaign, by Whybin\TBWA Melbourne, is centred on the idea that not everyone can be great and is designed to tap into the Australian spirit of resilience. It is designed to humanise the brand, with a focus on emotion rather than facts.
“Previously our [fact-based] positioning was at the backbone of our marketing. Before, we focused on big brand messages to build awareness, but now we are shifting our marketing to have the consumer at the heart,” Corner says.
Cordner believes “snackable” marketing is the right move for the company, as it pivots away from fact-based advertising.
The creative is the first from Whybin\TBWA Melbourne since it won the account in August of last year.
The ads feature people in unfortunate situations. In one spot, a young man is struggling to do a hill start in his manual car, saying: “I’m not great at hill starts in a manual, but with Carsales I can be good at selling my manual.”
The 15-second stories are executed as pre-rolls on YouTube. Cordner says with only a few seconds to capture people’s attention, the creative leads with the story before promoting the product.
This is seen in the ad that features a man and his family. The spot opens with his car sinking in the ocean before featuring the Carsales app.
“Innovation is at the DNA of our business. The pre-roll is the anchor for our digital content and we are excited to release other content through social platforms and PR," Cordner says.
“We are currently working on our marketing automation tool and we know that’s going to revolutionise our marketing mix moving forward.”
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