{"id":18385,"date":"2023-08-02T11:46:55","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T18:46:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispot.tv\/hub\/?p=18385"},"modified":"2025-02-19T14:40:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T22:40:07","slug":"cox-automotives-data-driven-approach-to-video-creative-driving-a-successful-ad-testing-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispot.tv\/hub\/cox-automotives-data-driven-approach-to-video-creative-driving-a-successful-ad-testing-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Cox Automotive’s Data-Driven Approach to Video Creative: Driving a Successful Ad Testing Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Creating compelling, effective video ads is as much an art as it is a science. In the latest Adweek webinar series, Trent Thacker, Sr. Director of the Research and Market Intelligence team at Cox Automotive and Peter Daboll, Chief of Strategy and Insights at iSpot, revealed how Cox Automotive uses video ad testing at every stage of the creative process to ensure their TV and video ads resonate with their target audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revving Up Auto Resale Ads: Striking the Balance Between Entertainment and Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cox Automotive, known for its brands like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, operates in the auto services category, navigating a complex market with a diverse range of competitors. In order to overcome this challenge of appealing to consumers as well as advertisers (eg. car dealerships), the auto service brand uses iSpot Creative Assessment<\/a> to guarantee their ads are hitting the appropriate emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

iSpot auto resale industry data revealed that, ad to ad, performance scores varied 32% to 47% over the past year \u2013 the largest gap was in the important Information delivery area<\/strong>. This indicates that some auto resale ads excel in building brand awareness and driving results, while others miss the mark \u2014 sometimes even eliciting negative reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Cox Automotive Leverages iSpot in their Data-Driven Approach to Video Advertising<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With such a diverse audience and varied stages of car-buying readiness, creating effective video ads demands meticulous attention to messaging and emotional resonance. Cox Automotive recognizes that their ads must serve multiple purposes: build brand awareness across all age groups while specifically targeting vehicle intenders, those who are likely to make a purchase within six months. Crafting ads that evoke appropriate emotions and resonate with consumers as well as advertisers is vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure ads are hitting the mark, Cox Automotive trusts iSpot to measure creative effectiveness and gather comprehensive quantitative and qualitative insights. Rather than only conducting post-campaign evaluations, Cox Automotive integrates iSpot into the creative development process to gauge audience resonance, emotional impact, and alignment with brand values before ads ever air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cox Automotive follows a methodical and iterative approach throughout pre-market stages to create impactful video ads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Concept Testing<\/strong>: Initial concepts are tested with consumers and client partners to ensure they represent the brand well and convey relevant information.

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  2. Storyboard Testing<\/strong>: Refined concepts are transformed into storyboards or animatics, which are evaluated through iSpot for further improvements.

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  3. Rough Cut Testing<\/strong>: The rough cut of the ad is tested with both consumers and client partners to fine-tune specific emotions.

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  4. Final Cut Testing<\/strong>: The final version of the ad is tested using iSpot, ensuring it aligns with performance goals and resonates with the target audience.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Ensuring Emotional Resonance With Video Ads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cox Automotive recognizes the significance of emotional resonance in their ads. For Kelley Blue Book, trust and credibility are crucial emotions, considering the brand\u2019s role as a reliable source of vehicle information. Autotrader, on the other hand, balances product information with humor to appeal to consumers during the car buying process, making it an enjoyable experience. Through iSpot, Cox Automotive is able to test video creatives to guarantee that the correct emotions are resonating with the target audiences for both Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For Cox Automotive, testing emotional impact became crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brand needed to closely monitor emotional responses to ads to ensure they were appropriate and relevant during this sensitive period, further demonstrating the importance of iSpot\u2019s data-driven creative insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    How Cox Automotive Ensured Positive Celebrity Impact Within Ad Creative<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    As an example, Cox Automotive showcased insights from their comprehensive testing for the Autotrader \u201cOnly Reason\u201d campaign with Kenan Thompson. For this ad, the Cox Automotive team wanted to confirm that the use of this particular celebrity aligned with the brand, positively impacted the ad and conveyed an appropriate level of information. The iSpot results confirmed that Kenan Thompson was a great selection and resonated well with consumers. Additionally, Cox Automotive leveraged iSpot data to test multiple versions\/cuts of the \u201cOnly Reason\u201d ad, which the brand was able to deploy throughout the life of the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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