/1

CarStore

Stealing Share of Search in a sea of sameness

The UK used-car market is a daunting sector for any new brand, with no single deal group owning more than 5%. The unprecedented market saw high volumes of car sales in 2020-21, but in 2022, when Carstore was preparing to launch, prices were starting to reduce – an early indicator of fading demand in the sector.

To ensure CarStore’s success, we needed to put its customer-first proposition at the forefront of the brand’s media strategy and steal share of voice from existing players in the market to outmanoeuvre competitors.

What we did

Using an optimal brand-to-activation budget split, we used a significant proportion of the brand-building budget to build quick awareness and make an impact at launch.

What we did

We isolated 3.5m unconfident car buyers with low technical knowledge and an interest in cars and identified the maximum distance they would travel for a second-hand car. We then overlayed catchment areas within the 60-minute radius to create a greater impact.

What we did

We prioritised TV as the campaign’s backbone, opting for a “burst” TV strategy, activating in priority weeks based on seasonal peaks and lowering TV costs to maximise investment.

What we did

We also leant on regional OOH and radio to build cost-effective frequency across multiple touchpoints in the first six weeks.

Our strategy successfully outmanoeuvred CarStore’s competitors. The campaign achieved a 16% share of voice during launch month, outperforming two of the brand’s core competitors and exceeding the 10% share of voice needed to grow market share long term.

Overall, we delivered against key consideration metrics for our launch campaign, achieving a 55% jump in share of search, a 52% rise in onsite sessions tracked in GA and a 57% increase in enquiries.

  • +16%

    SOV in launch month

  • +55%

    Increase in share of search

  • +57%

    Increase in enquires

Our work

Next case study