Dive Brief:
- E-commerce auto-buying and selling platform Carvana launched "as-soon-as-next-day" vehicle delivery in New York City and debuted a one-day integrated campaign to promote its offering around the city, according to news provided to Marketing Dive.
- Carvana deployed a caravan of five signature car haulers that paraded through New York City on Sept. 20. Three of the haulers carried vehicles inside giant takeout delivery bags to highlight its new delivery option. They included a "receipt" attached to the back that read, "Buy your car online and get it delivered. Just like everything else in New York."
- More than 250 digital on-street LinkNYC displays featured Carvana ads and a live feed of people using the campaign hashtag #TheNYCWayToBuyACar. People who saw the parade of vehicles were encouraged to take photos and post them on social media using the campaign hashtag and #sweepstakes for a chance to win a year of free Postmates up to $5,000.
Dive Insight:
Carvana's interactive campaign could help the company reach younger consumers as it enters its biggest market to date. Parading cars wrapped in takeout bags around New York City was an attention-grabber, and also provided opportunities to engage with social media-savvy generations. Encouraging passersby to snap, post and hashtag photos — which in turn were placed on large digital displays — might have helped boost social media traffic for the brand. .
Marketers continue to invest in out-of-home (OOH) marketing — like Carvana's use of LinkNYC displays — to drive awareness and reach consumers in unique ways at key points throughout their busy day-to-day lives. Brands that dedicate 15% or more of their media budgets to OOH had a 24% increase in brand trust, 106% increase in perception of brand quality and a 275% increase in customer loyalty, according to a recent survey by Rapport, IPG Mediabrands' OOH division.
If successful, the campaign could help automakers reach a demographic that has been less inclined than older generations to buy cars. While consumers generally want to purchase vehicles online, many millennials in particular do not even want to own their own cars. In addition, Gen Z's conversations around auto brands have also dropped off significantly, as most prefer walkable areas and ride-hailing services, a recent Engagement Labs study found.
