Opel is a European automotive producer founded in 1862 in Rüsselsheim, Germany. Together with its British affiliate Vauxhall, Opel operates in more than 40 countries. The brand entered the Turkish market in 1990, and since then has established a network of 68 dealers. In Turkey it ranks fourth in sales of passenger cars with a market share of over 6%.
THE GOALS
Increase awareness of Opel Mokka relaunch
THE APPROACH
Implemented Lightbox Ads
Ran 20-day campaign on Google Display Network (GDN)
THE RESULTS
1 million clicks to the Mokka landing page
Interaction rate increased 7% over previous Opel campaigns
Cost per click five times lower than previous GDN campaigns
Opel’s aim is to offer maximum care and attention to customers while developing smart, surprising and innovative cars. This focus on innovation is not limited only to Opel’s design and manufacturing; the same approach influences the brand’s digital marketing strategies. This came into play during the relaunch of the Opel Mokka. The company needed a marketing campaign to create awareness of the vehicle’s new features and to encourage consumers to explore the “new Mokka”. Media planning agency Carat Turkey and performance planning agency iProspect Turkey created a strategy incorporating Google Lightbox Ads.
Lightbox Ads are high-impact experiences that let brands embed rich media content into a standard, scalable ad unit. When a consumer chooses to engage by hovering the cursor over the unit for two seconds, the ad expands into a near full-screen canvas in the forefront with a dimming effect on the page underneath.
Opel’s campaign centred on a video clip as the creative, so Lightbox Ads were a perfect fit. These display ads functioned as more than only a tool to send traffic to the Opel website; they effectively created an environment where users could engage with the Opel Mokka without leaving the site in which the ad was served. Behind the scenes, implementation was straightforward. Opel’s agencies uploaded creatives using Google’s Ready Ad Gallery, then targeted affinity segments and interest categories with a particular emphasis on automotive and travel themes.
The Opel ad first appeared as a standard display unit (left). When a consumer hovered over the ad for two seconds, this triggered a 20-second video ad to load and play (right). The rich media expanded in the forefront while a dimming effect on the page underneath ensured the content stood out.
The campaign ran for 20 days and produced excellent results, driving 1 million clicks to the Opel Mokka landing page. The interaction rate increased by 7% and the cost per click dropped by a factor of five compared to Opel’s previous campaigns on the Google Display Network. “We effectively leverage Google technical solutions and advertising models to directly reach our target customer segments,” says Erim Timur, Marketing Communication Manager at Opel. “With the Google Display Network we can create awareness among users by identifying their areas of interest while directly reaching those who actively search for us and our products. We recommend this approach to all brands aiming to reach the right target audience at the right time.”
