automotive banner ad template
8 minutes read

 

When we talk about banner ads, we think about the product that is sold as one that is priced small to medium. Rarely, expensive goods would be advertised with the old-fashioned banner ad. But creativity has no limits, and you can experiment in any industry – even in the car industry. 

[Tweet “The old-fashioned car industry is quite possible to incorporate in the digital world. “]

As for each marketer and designer who are creating a strategy to sell a car for any brand, the biggest challenge is the conversion. How do you make a potential customer become a buying customer and reliable ambassador for your brand? With the cost of the acquisition so high, which strategy do you embrace when advertising through online banner ads?

A customer who is looking to buy a car wants to see the car, to have a ride before buying and have a taste of the experience. These are physical experiences that an online banner ad could hardly give.

But you know what a car banner ad template could give? Brand awareness, the promise of the brand, what you could achieve and how would it feel. And coming back to you.  

A banner ad for a high end acquisition is the one that opens the eyes and the heart of a customer – it is a constant reminder to come back for there are great things in store for him.

As follows I’ll present how the car industry marketers and designers promote their products. And this actually means that the tips could be a great inspiration for other industries, as well. It is especially helpful to know which points to tackle when your product takes some money for acquisition and therefore some time.

From the details of the car to the environment in which is presented, for the new features on the market to the endorsements — there is a lot to learn from the car industry, and I say we better start the engine!

1. The banner has to emphasize what defines your car — movement

car movement banner ads examples

 

You have an ace up your sleeve, and you have to play it in your advertising strategy. While you can go into details and other purposes, the safest is to play with the main feature of your product. In this case — the speed of a car.

I am a racer, I love to speed, and I dare you to show me at least one person who doesn’t like speed.

The beauty of a car is its powerful engine, the speed and the no limits feeling. And for sure, marketers in the car industry know the best how to put an emphasize on that. That is why they will always, but always start a banner collection with a speedy car in a fast movement shot.

Does it define you? — Put it at work.

We’ve already settled down that we perceive visual imagery 60,000 times faster than any other kind of information? So why not use this?

Want to describe experience, speed, adrenaline, and movement without any hustle with wording? Sweet images that speak louder than words, just like Porsche presented their “Forever Amazing” display campaign.

 

2. A story with a twist — the banner ad has to show the details of your car

auto banner ads examples showing important details

 

What is that one part of your product or the feature of your product that you’re the proudest of? What was the inspirational moment when your product designer gave the world the most perfect twist? Why not getting it forward? Anything that is representative and should be put forward — should be on your banner ads.

Let it be a corner of the restaurant, an outside sign for your restaurant, a button on a coat, the handle of a door or… the hubcap, the headlights or the elegantly positioned logo on the grill.

They say the devil is in the details, but not when it comes to simple, classy and aesthetically pleasing details. Still doubting? Take an example of how Ford, Hyundai and Alfa Romeo used their detail game to make their audiences fall in love at first sight.

Pretty neat, right?

 

3. Say your name louder than anything – your logo is an essential part of your banner

automotive ad banners with different logos

 

As I’ve covered before, an essential part of your Brand Identity Book is the logo, which is your business card, your face and what differentiates you in such a mass of information.

[Tweet “Giving priority to your logo in your banner ads is a three-point winning strategy.”]

First, the position of the logo remains unchanged, and you create an instantly recognizable pattern. Second, this pattern creates trustworthiness and third, if your brand is well known, why not use the logo as a Call-to-action itself and sell with your brand?

Or better, combine your logo and CTA. Quite a powerful message, just like Nissan and Ferrari use in their banner ads.

 

4. Wake up a reaction – The Call-To-Action

auto banner ad examples with different call to action buttons

 

We’ve been talking so far about the big picture of a car and its details, about the logo that stands out and goes hand in hand with the Call-To-Action, so it’s show time for the big words that actually convert.

Every industry has its own trigger words that convert. These CTAs are specific, depict an emotion, an experience, you name it, but they all fall into what will your audience get, how will they feel and what will they have if they click on the ad.

The same philosophy behind it — what defines your product is your one-way ticket to conversion.

Forget the boring ‘Learn More’ — use representative CTAs like explore, book a test drive, design yours, find a dealer or find yours (your car). Possibilities are over the roof, all you have to do is get creative with your Call-To-Action button.

 

5. Is that time of the year – Adverts car sales during seasons  and holidays

car banner ads for Christmas examples

 

Seasonal products are those products that are in demand when there’s a change in climatic ad weather conditions. Whether your product is timeless or seasonal, the weather outside can be an asset to use for your banner ad campaigns.

Buying a car is a high-end acquisition process, and it does not apply on itself the seasonality pattern. Therefore sales are directed differently.

For example, in the shoe retail industry where there are two peaks (Spring, Fall) and two off-seasons (Winter, Summer), a sales pattern that will be only applied sporadically for car selling. How? By advertising specific features in season.  Which features? Well, think about convertibles — you will promote them during the hot/warm season and in areas where summer is a never-ending paradise just like Mercedes-Benz.

How about that one perfect gift that fits under the Christmas tree? Yes, a car fits anywhere — under the tree, during the holidays and in a banner ad, as well.

So, we’re all set for the ride?

 

6. Is it innovative? – Your car banner ad has to spread the word

Porsche banner ad example focused on innovation

 

Ever asked yourself why people keep bringing new features on the table? Yeah, competition, but there’s something more to it. It’s the ongoing nature of human beings to perfect and revolutionize industries that are supposed to remain classic. Is bringing innovation next to comfort and classic. It is one click away from information and one touch away from turning your iPhone music in your car.

Sounds extraordinary but tomorrow this is going to be yesterday’s news. And keeping up means telling your audiences what got new — how did you improve your product for a better experience?

We’ve been seeing innovations after innovations seasons after seasons — daring, extraordinary and revolutionary. Put the highlights on it — you deserved it!

 

7. Look at your buyer persona — and then get them in your banner ads

car banner ads with people

 

What’s that something marks a transition in one’s life from being solo to having a family? The car — yes, the one little detail that is created around watching the stars versus available to insert the baby car seats.

And you know this was the easiest part for advertisers — they just had to differentiate their messages based on the buyer persona profile.

[Tweet “Differentiate your message based on the buyer persona profile”]

It is imperative to know who are your buyers, what are their needs… but we aren’t in a Marketing class right now, and this is Basics 101 – give your customers what they look for.

What I’d like to tackle down here is how you can use the primary needs of your customers (family car) to start one social campaign on a subject that is related to their needs.

One campaign that I like specifically is “The Art of Parenting” from Mercedes-Benz. It gets me more as a marketer than as a parent, and I can look at it without being “touched” by the goal of the campaign.

In plain English, this campaign aimed to portray that Mercedes-Benz is also a family car (oh, yeah, no S-class mention there), and the easiest way to do it?

You take your target audience and have them as your ambassadors.

 

8. Go after the competition — with your white gloves on!

Design Banner Ads Mercedes 8

 

I believe in competition, but also I don’t exclude the fact that CEOs of different companies from the same industry can have coffee together. Moreover, as they sit at their coffee table and check their new ads, they compare them and the coolest advertisement campaign is rewarded… of the other at the table paying the bill.

It is a common goal for a whole industry to bring it to the next level. Sooner or later, the patents, the innovations, and the features will be available for everyone on the market, so this competition should be toward a common goal — challenge each other to become better.

[Tweet “Your competition challenges you to become better – thank them like Mercedes does.”]

BMW recently “turned” 100, and Mercedes and Porsche haven’t lost their chance to have a say in it. Probably, most of you have seen how Mercedes-Benz brilliantly wished BMW a Happy 100th birthday with the videoThank you for 100 years of competition. The previous 30 years were actually a bit boring”. It’s not the first time Mercedes does that, here’s another campaign they run on GDN.

It is all about being in the competition with the other producers but is also respecting their input. What makes an industry grow is how much competition there is and how little sleep and boring days you get to see. Making it better and better, innovating each year are activities driven by competition.

So, be thankful to your competition for keeping you alive, and don’t forget to remind them from time to time. With the white gloves on.

 

Conclusions

For some of you, the car industry might not seem the most fitted to use Display advertising. Some would say that a high-end acquisition product is not going to be bought through an image on the internet, so there’s no reason to put it to work.

But the car industry has challenged this concept and is quite a phenomena.

Let me explain why these examples are what you’re looking for if the product you’re selling has a high price.

The decision-making process in buying such a product is quite high because the money involved have quite some zeros. So what the customer will do? Will search over and over again. Where? On the Internet, ‘cause they have time to go to every physical store to ask for details.

So, by searching online, there’s one thing you should do – get them back to you, remind them about your store, about your features, about the colors, give them a test drive, show them the speed… By this point of the article, you know what you have to do.

It is never impossible to sell a car, as long as you give your target audience the best what you have.

 

What’s the one thing that defines you?

 

06299
Daniela Fantaziu
Digital Marketer & Growth Hacker.

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