Land Rover Hits 15% in Digital Sales With Cross-Channel Marketing

By utilizing a multichannel strategy and forming strategic partnerships with YouTube and the Google Display Network, Land Rover has managed to boost its digital sales significantly.

Land Rover has been building the luxury SUVs that bear its name for more than 65 years. But in 2013, the company started looking for new ways to create awareness for its Range Rover model among car buyers. The automotive brand partnered with Google on a cross-channel strategy that would engage shoppers at every touch point of their buying journey.

Capturing Consumers at All Stages of the Purchase Process

According to Vehicle Shopper Path to Purchase, a study conducted by Millward Brown Digital and Google in September 2013, 95 percent of vehicle shoppers use digital channels to research. Land Rover wanted to reach those shoppers on all their devices at every point in the funnel. To do that, the brand turned to Google to run cross-channel Range Rover campaigns on search, display, social, and YouTube.

Kim Kyaw, Land Rover’s digital marketing and social media manager, says, “Digital is one of the only mediums where you can reach everybody, from upper-funnel awareness down to people ready to buy right now.”

Creating Memorable Brand Experiences With Video

Land Rover used YouTube and the Google Display Network to create lasting brand connections with consumers.

Kyaw says, “YouTube opens up new ways for us to tell our story.” She adds, “We want people to feel exhilaration, and what better way to do that than with assets that really hit all of the senses?”

For instance, Land Rover ran a YouTube homepage takeover, with an expandable Range Rover masthead ad that played a video when clicked by viewers. The ad received tens of millions of impressions across all devices and had an interaction rate of 12 percent.

To extend that impact across the Google Display Network, Land Rover used a new Engagement Ad format: the Masthead in Lightbox. This ad helped the Range Rover story reach millions more users with a sizable engagement rate of 3.85 percent.

Kyaw says, “The great thing with Engagement Ads is that people can interact with your creative and choose what videos they want to watch.”

The brand then used remarketing to continue the conversation with people who had expressed interest in the Range Rover, either by visiting LandRover.com or by watching one of the special Engagement Ads the company ran on AdWords. Engagement Ads expand to play video or other bonus content when a user is curious enough to hover over them for two seconds or more. The remarketing ads were also designed to fit the customer.

Kyaw says, “If somebody built and priced a Range Rover Evoque on our website but didn’t submit a lead, we would show them a Range Rover Evoque rather than a generic ad and say, ‘Find a retailer in your area.'”

Maximizing Visibility With Mobile, Search, and Social Media

According to a YouTube behavioral impact study conducted with Millward Brown Digital in March 2014, masthead ads do more than drive clicks. They create an average 3.8 times one-day lift in branded searches as well, which was good for Land Rover because strong search marketing is one of the keys to driving traffic to its website.

Kyaw says, “Search directs about 30 percent of total in-market shopping traffic to our properties.”

A major mobile presence helps them capture users at all those moments, as do social channels such as Google+.

Kyaw notes, “When someone searches for us, in many cases they’ll see in the organic results what we’ve published recently on Google+.” She adds, “And adding social annotations gave us a 10 percent lift in click-through rate to LandRoverUSA.com.”

New Roads Ahead for Land Rover

Since 2011, Land Rover has increased the digital share of its marketing budget from 15 percent to 37 percent, and watched sales rise by double digits each year. Today, 15 percent of Land Rover’s sales come from digital – and cross-channel marketing is playing a growing role.

Kyaw says, “Cross-channel digital marketing has become a cornerstone of our growth as a brand.”

As Land Rover moves forward, it sees its partnership with Google evolving.

Says Kyaw, “It’s always fun to work with a partner who’s going to push you and bring you new ideas. With Google, we work together to find the best solution for Land Rover’s needs. It’s a true partnership.”

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