Volkswagen has designed a digital advertising campaign for the latest model of the New T-Cross to showcase the car and amplify awareness of the vehicle. Beyond relying on advanced and highly visible advertising formats, the campaign also incorporated the concept of a car configurator, which is one of the key elements in the consumer’s purchasing journey when deliberating a buying decision. This concept was intended to increase the engagement of potential customers with researching the new model and to influence the purchase decision.

When designing the advertising strategy, we focused on engaging the identified target groups and maximising visibility by using a variety of advanced ad formats on both desktop and mobile devices. To capture the attention of target audiences and kickstart the online research process in the initial stages of car-buying, we designed the iPROM Configurator ad concept. This approach integrates a car configurator directly into the ad formats, empowering users to configure the new T-Cross by customizing the vehicle colour, wheels and tyre size. The concept served as an excellent tool to increase user engagement and encourage interaction directly within the ad. The total number of vehicle configurations made through the ad exceeded 3,900 and an additional 61% of visitors who arrived at the website via the ads proceeded to detailed vehicle configuration, resulting in an additional 3,700 configurations made during the campaign.

The target group definition and the advertising strategy were planned on the basis of first-party data gathered by Volkswagen through its own media properties using the iPROM Private DMP solution. By analysing the first-party data, we created segments of the target audience and further enriched them with online users who have similar behavioural patterns as the primary target groups using the look-alike method. This approach allowed us to identify and target new user profiles that are similar to existing users and likely to be interested in purchasing a new model of the new T-Cross, thus broadening our base of potential customers. Using first-party targeting, our ads reached 77% of our target audience.

During the advertising campaign, visits to the new T-Cross sub-site increased by 280.4% and the number of users surged by 314.2% compared to the period before the advertising campaign launch. Notably, 78% of all page views were by visitors who came to the site via ads, while 61% of all users configured a vehicle on the site. Using first-party targeting also resulted in a 17% higher response to ads compared to the control group.

“Through a digital advertising campaign based on first-party data and the use of innovative ad formats and concepts, we have shown that it is possible to actively engage consumers in exploring alternatives by advertising early in the car-buying journey. More precise targeting of users based on the first-party data that Volkswagen has been collecting for several years with the iPROM Private DMP solution, together with the use of the innovative iPROM Configurator concept, have been key contributors to better campaign results and the process of getting to know a new car model,” said Leon Brenčič, Client Service Director at iPROM.

“The use of the iPROM Configurator to advertise the new T-Cross lets digital media users explore the car directly within the ad and interactively customise it to their preferences and desires. The innovative approach to advertising, based on the use of our own first-party data, also allowed us to conduct a small-scale market research, as insights from the configurations enable us to adapt sales strategies to the evolving needs of customers,” commented Nuša Pleše, Marketing Porsche Slovenia, Volkswagen Brand.