Go Fund Yourself
Strategy, Creative Campaign, Video Development, Writing, Marketing Strategy
AutoArriba was developed as a test product for a large automotive lender. The lender specializes in financing and refinancing for automotive loans at the dealership level. Seeing an opportunity to offer a better user experience for the direct-to-consumer used market, they developed this online product.
Buying a used car can be difficult. AutoArriba developed a full online user experience for their customers but needed some creative to help with their new product to stand out. We got to work.
AutoArriba was established in 2017 and launched in early 2018. At the time, the product faced a few major obstacles. First, it was the first of its kind in Canada. Auto dealers typically offer financing for the vehicles they sell; however, if you wanted to fund a private vehicle loan, you’d have to visit a bank. This new model for used car financing online would take some time to explain.
The second issue was that the leadership team saw the number of deals signed as a key metric for success. The result was a rush to prove the product’s effectiveness without taking the time to build awareness and trust with their key audiences.
Finally, the cost to advertise in the automotive market is high. Competitors have deep pockets, tight networks, and established brands.
Generate leads to convert into sales through a traditional and digital campaign.
The creative team took a look at all of the automotive-related ads for similar financing offers. They decided that since AutoArriba was a DIY product that allowed users to manage their own experience, using a similar approach with the creative would help support that message. They built simple props to help tell the story of “Otto” – AutoArriba’s mascot.
This was launched in early 2020 when Covid19 lockdowns were beginning to take place. People were staying home and spending more time online. People also wanted to get new cars versus using public transit. We used Otto as our mascot to liven up the dull auto loan industry using a variety of tactics including outdoor, digital and social media ads.
We created an engaging pants-optional landing page to entice potential customers to inquire about an auto loan.
Over the six months of the campaign, we were building the awareness efforts of AutoArriba and driving traffic to the website to convert to leads in Edmonton. While leads have remained fairly consistent year-to-year, the quality of the leads driven from the 2020 campaign appears to be more qualified and fewer leads are declined despite the poor economic conditions as a result of COVID-19. Ultimately AutoArriba was happy with how our work and our audiences really responded to Otto and AutoArriba’s new and improved messaging.
