• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, October 23, 2013

In its first multi-network campaign for an advertiser, the Digital Place-based Advertising Association teamed with Tri State Ford in the New York market for a third-quarter campaign designed to deliver impressions to the hard-to-reach light TV audience and so-called “auto-intender viewers.” 

In addition to Ford, the DPAA has just kicked off similar campaigns with another domestic carmaker and a domestic truck manufacturer. Those campaigns are running in multiple U.S. markets now through the end of the year. DPAA declined to identify the second car marketer and the truck maker because it does not yet have approval to disclose them publicly. 

The trade group called the Ford campaign a “landmark pilot program” that generated “increased reach and more efficient pricing.” The trade group worked with the client’s agencies Retail First, part of the Ford-dedicated WPP shop Team Detroit and OOH firm Kinetic. 

Deena Woodrow, senior vice president, Team Detroit, stated that “positive impact to the media plan was achieved immediately. Adult 25-54 GRPs increased 30% and reach increased 24%, along with the significant improvement in upper-funnel metrics reported by Phoenix Marketing.”   

According to the DPAA, research conducted by Phoenix showed significant improvement in upper-funnel metrics after only two weeks. Brand awareness and unaided awareness among primary auto decision makers increased by approximately 30%. Many brand attribute metrics also improved, including overall positive impression, trustworthiness, good value and technologically advanced consumers, per the trade association.

The DPAA said it also measured lower-funnel benchmarks, including visited Ford Web site, visited dealer Web site, visited dealer, took a test drive and took advantage of a promotion or offer. DPAA also created technical, creative and media standards in order to execute a single buy among various place-based media networks. 

Barry Frey, president and CEO of DPAA, said the Ford campaign “was a historic milestone for our industry as we enabled Tri State Ford and its agencies one-stop-shopping of digital place-based media. The initiative provided ease, scale and coverage to all involved.” 

Frey said the campaign demonstrates that the place-based media industry is addressing ease-of-use and scale issues raised by the agency sector. "Delivering ease, coverage and scale portends good growth” for the industry, Frey said.