In the automotive industry, strong community relationships are the ultimate fuel for sales. Dealerships show up in their communities as significant employers, sponsors of sports teams, supporters of local causes, and engaged neighbors. And, strategic advertising helps them ensure that potential customers know about those commitments.
Established in 2008, the Doral Automotive Group owns three dealerships in South Florida: Doral Lincoln, which is the top-selling Lincoln dealership in the Eastern United States for the past nine years, Lincoln of Cutler Bay, and Ford of Kendall, the Miami DMA‘s number-one car dealership for sales and service.
“Advertising is changing in many ways, and you need to be everywhere,” Doral’s founder, Luis Somoano, explains. “TV in general is an essential piece to showcase your business.”
Because of that essentiality, Doral began partnering with Effectv more than seven years ago with the goals of engaging the community, focusing on family, and using multiscreen TV advertising to stay top-of-mind and connected with consumers, regardless of market conditions.
“The networks that Effectv is able to reach have really made a difference in how people perceive us in the community,” says Kristina Perez-Cubas, Doral’s corporate controller. “[Customers] see us when they’re watching a [Miami] Heat game, when they’re watching the Golf Channel, when they’re watching their favorite show online. We’re able to reach different demographics.”
Strategy
Like most businesses, Doral’s customers embody various interests and needs, so the automotive group knows the importance of meeting people where they are. Multiscreen TV viewing gives advertisers like Doral the opportunity to beat fragmentation and reach potential customers wherever they are watching content, from televisions to smartphones to tablets.
Effectv and Doral worked together to land on a simple, but powerful strategy: maintain a strong presence throughout each month by advertising on multiple TV networks, streaming platforms, and during live sports events, particularly Miami Heat games.
Solution
From January to April 2023, Doral Lincoln enhanced its ongoing base campaign with a specialized campaign centered around advertising during Miami Heat regular season games, with the goals of increasing both reach and frequency.
Doral paired this tactical approach with powerful creative that focused on family values in order to connect with potential customers. “We wanted to showcase our family. In the TV spot, it’s myself, my sister, and our children,” says Karen Rodriguez, Doral’s operations director. “Family is everything in this business,” adds Perez-Cubas. “We try to keep it at the core of everything we do.”
Results
As a result of the January to April 2023 campaign, Doral achieved its goals of increasing both reach and frequency, garnering +6% incremental reach and +41% growth in frequency compared to its base campaign. Doral reported an increase in immediate visitors, people who visited the website within 30 mins of the TV ad, during this time, and its Instant IMPACT reports show that it has above-the-market benchmarks for converting website visits to both new and used car purchases.
“[Customers] were able to see what we stand for and who we are,” says Perez-Cubas. “That’s something we probably would not have been able to do without Effectv.”
Conclusion
By pairing the wide reach of sports advertising with the sentimental value of family-focused messaging, the Doral Automotive Group proved that there is always room to elevate a base campaign and use strategic tactics to achieve incremental reach.
Doral’s ongoing partnership with Effectv allows it to maintain and expand its top-of-market positions while continually evolving to meet the needs of its diverse customer base in an era of rapid digital transformation.
