How a Luxury Auto Brand Used Zero-Party Ads to Boost Favorability and Consideration

Ready to see how an auto brand used zero-party data from ads to drive results? In this case study, a major luxury car brand – let’s call them Resa –  sought to accomplish two key outcomes with its new video ad campaign:

• Drive brand favorability among a broader target audience
• Increase purchase consideration of their new line of plug-in hybrids 

Since Resa was launching its first line of plug-in hybrid SUVs, it wanted to gauge demand for electric and hybrid vehicles in the US.  Resa and their agency partnered with ViralGains for their unique ability to gather zero-party data in ads to understand viewer sentiment while generating awareness of their product. 

Driving Brand Favorability with Zero-Party Ads 

Resa kicked off its brand campaign with a dynamic, zero-party video ad designed to boost brand favorability while gathering valuable consumer feedback. 

Survey Question: What is your overall opinion of Resa?

This survey appeared briefly during the video and, if unanswered, popped up post-view. This feedback was crucial for understanding real-time sentiment and informed ViralGains’ Brand Lift Study, which compared respondents’ brand favorability against a control group. By the end of the campaign, the video ad delivered a 16.5%  lift in brand favorability.

Turning Interest Into Purchase Consideration

With the audience primed from the brand campaign, Resa launched a product-specific campaign to promote its hybrid plug-in vehicles.

Survey Question: How likely are you to consider purchasing a Resa hybrid or electric vehicle?

This survey provided critical data on purchase intent to help the ViralGains team optimize towards creative and tactics that drove the most positive purchase intent.   The result?  The product campaign nearly tripled purchase consideration, with a 12.47-point increase in “likely/very likely” responses compared to the control group.

Actionable Insights Through Zero-Party Data:

Thanks to the dynamic nature of the video ad surveys, ViralGains could tailor follow-up questions based on each viewer’s initial responses. This allowed Resa to gain deeper insights into their audience and use that data to fine-tune their ad campaign for even better results. Here are three key takeaways from their approach:

1. Hybrid/EV Interest: Consumers who responded neutral or favorable to the brand perception survey were immediately asked: Are you interested in an electric or hybrid vehicle?  A promising 37% of respondents said “yes” or “maybe.” Using ViralGains’ VoiceAlike® technology, Resa built a highly targeted segment of potential hybrid/EV shoppers for the product campaign and future campaigns.
2. Most Desired Hybrid/EV Features: Respondents who expressed interest in a Resa hybrid/EV were asked: What feature are you most interested in when considering a Resa hybrid or electric vehicle? Out of over 30,000 responses, nearly half prioritized Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) and efficiency. Style and safety followed closely behind, emphasizing that Resa needed to highlight a variety of benefits in their messaging.
3. Understanding Barriers: Respondents who reported low consideration were asked: Why are you unlikely to consider a Resa hybrid or electric vehicle?  Out of over 15,000 responses, 50% felt Resa’s hybrids were “too expensive” and 28% preferred other brands. ViralGains leveraged these insights to adjust targeting mid-campaign. By reallocating budget toward high-income households, they addressed one of the key barriers—price sensitivity: “Too Expensive” responses decreased by 6.22 points.

Key Takeaways:

Resa’s campaigns illustrate how ViralGains’ Zero-Party Ads help brands go beyond just delivering impressions—they enable a continuous feedback loop with consumers. By pairing video ads with dynamic surveys, Resa was able to:

• Increase brand favorability with measurable impact (+16.5% lift).
• Drive a nearly threefold increase in purchase consideration.
• Build high-value, intent-driven audiences for future campaigns.
• Gain actionable insights to optimize messaging and targeting mid-campaign.

Whether you’re looking to shift consumer perception, drive action, or understand your audience better, ViralGains can help you achieve measurable outcomes. Let’s elevate your advertising strategy with the power of zero-party data.

Interested in More Case Studies?

Check out our Outcomes Guide to discover how 20 different brands have used Zero-Party Ads to drive business outcomes.