Mazda’s resurgent sales in North America over the past year were not an accident. It took brilliant marketing efforts using a cutting-edge data-driven, user-centric approach to reach buyers for the automaker’s CX-50 crossover vehicles.

Mazda previously based its efforts on impressions and share of voice and traffic. But in partnership with performance marketing agency Optimal, the automaker began focusing more on data analytics and AI. 

“A key focus was integrating data and AI into the media strategy to optimize towards website actions closer to the purchase event and dealer visits, rather than just impressions and traffic,” Optimal stated. “This included leveraging Google’s, Meta’s and other channels bidding algorithms and integrating actual, attributed vehicles sales data.”

One of the new ads highlighted the CX-50’s “sharp cabin design” and then reached out to potential new customers, saying, “What we’d love to know is what you’ll say,” with the phrase “looking for outsiders” appearing on screen.

The results of the campaign were impressive, according to the agencies, resulting in an 89% percent increase in click-through rate and 26% percent decrease in cost-per-click. 

Mazda, which competes with far larger automakers in the U.S. market, has registered a banner year for sales in 2024 and the CX-50 campaign has played a major role. Through October, Mazda sales have soared nearly 19 percent to 351,759 vehicles. Within those results, CX-50 deliveries surged 90 percent to 66,286 vehicles.

FINALISTS

Southern California Toyota Dealers Association

Entrant: Samsung Ads

Samsung Ads partnered with Davis Elen Advertising in a campaign for the Southern California Toyota Dealers Association that focused on cord-cutters. It leveraged first-party, proprietary data of Samsung TV device owners. The effort exceeded goals, delivering 42.1 million impressions. 

Honda

Entrant: Strategus

In a connected TV ad effort for Honda dealerships, Strategus targeted past Honda buyers. It reached over 100,000 households across multiple devices, generating a 133% lift in vehicle sales among the exposed audience, according to the agency, which used Experian’s OmniImpact for Automotive tool to “seamlessly link digital ad exposure to offline vehicle sales.” 

The 2024 Global Automotive Marketing Awards, a program created and run by Ad Age and Automotive News, is sponsored by TikTok and Experian. For more information about the program, please visit AdAge.com/AutoAwards.

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