Advertisers flock to younger customers, hoping they might become lifelong loyalists. This is especially true for brands selling products that are major purchases, like cars.
Cars.com, for example, a site that connects car buyers and sellers with dealers, has high brand recognition because it launched in 1998.
Now, it’s capitalizing on the purchase intent of the next generation of car buyers.
The brand launched a new video campaign on Thursday to reach younger audiences on social media and connected TV (CTV).
Cars.com is also updating its website to appeal to younger consumers with features that resemble an ecommerce experience, such as personalized search results and instant financing plans.
Compared with most retail transactions, like buying beauty products or new clothes, car purchases happen infrequently. The brand’s latest marketing push is an attempt to resonate with younger consumers so that they’ll consider the brand over the course of their lifetimes, Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Vianello told AdExchanger.
Getting any younger?
This latest campaign highlighted Gen Z buyers, the audience most likely to be in market for their first car.
It is running mostly on streaming and social media, and includes three videos that portray people buying a car during important life milestones, such as getting a promotion or starting a family.
Cars.com is already heavily investing in streaming ads, but it intends to up the ante on its social media buys to make sure it’s getting in front of Gen Z, Vianello said.
The company has spent the last six to nine months testing several influencer marketing networks as partners, with plans to increase the amount of content it’s posting on TikTok and Instagram specifically.
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Site visits and app downloads track growth in brand awareness from Cars.com’s marketing. It’s also looking at unique visitor rates to determine how much traction it’s picking up.
Fuel for shopping
Still, just running more ads on social media and CTV isn’t enough to bring in younger customers. That’s why Cars.com is evolving to be more involved in the purchase journey so it support an uptick in younger consumers who expect more personalized and shoppable online experiences.
Age brackets aside, browsing Cars.com is generally linked to high purchase intent. If you’re searching online to see cars for sale, it’s probably because you’re in market to buy one.
Cars.com has been piloting updates to its website, including more personalized search results and more information about financing plans. It’s also testing tools for scheduling appointments with dealerships.
Instead of being just a listing site for car dealerships, it has to get more involved in the online journey that happens before a retail transaction, said Chief Product Officer Matthew Crawford.
Users see personalized content based on profiles created when signing up and through search on the company’s site, whether or not those searches come from registered users. The site uses that information to customize search results based on product preferences, such as car make and model, safety features and optimal fits for child car seats.
This also meant Cars.com had to work more closely with car dealerships so it could recommend inventory that’s actually available.
To reach the next generation of car buyers, the goal for Cars.com is to become “an ongoing resource that consumers will engage with as a vehicle owner over time, not just once,” Crawford said.
