ORLANDO – Automotive brands for decades have been mainstay advertisers on traditional linear television, including over-the-air broadcasts and cable channels. As many cord-cutters and cord-never consumers reach the prime car-buying age, carmakers are embracing newer media channels such as connected television to improve their reach.
“We want to be wherever consumers are spending time. As the rise of streaming grew, so did our interest,” Marla Skiko, global head of media at Ford Motor Co., said in this interview with Beet.TV at the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference.
Because CTV relies on an internet connection, it has greater capability to drive interactions with prospective car buyers and get them excited about visiting a dealer lot.
“Many of the different media companies are thinking of ways for it to become a two-way interaction,” Skiko said. “Moving into commerce, it’s become even more interesting because you’re getting so many…younger audiences, more diverse audiences, and on top of that, you have a way to engage them.”
A car or truck typically is a significant purchase for any household because of the financial commitment and time needed to consider vehicle features such as gas mileage, safety record, roominess and on-board infotainment systems. As important as dealerships are in closing sales, media channels play an important role in informing and inspiring prospective car buyers.
“Our ability to get the consumer from interest in a segment to shopping for a vehicle is really interesting to us,” Skiko said, “We have that ability now in that touch point as well as many other digital touch points.”
You’re watching “The CMO’s Guide to CTV Advertising in 2025 & Beyond”, a Beet.TV Leadership Series at ANA Masters of Marketing 2024, presented by Innovid. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
