From Good to Great: Wpromote Uses TV to Fuel Aided Awareness for National Oil Change Giant

When you’re already one of the most recognizable brands in the country, can a TV advertising campaign help turbo charge brand awareness from good to great? That’s the question Wpromote wanted to answer on behalf of their national auto service chain client.

Revving Up Awareness 

While this wasn’t the brand’s first foray into TV, it was one of its most ambitious. Wpromote worked with the auto retailer to dedicate a sizable media budget over the course of a 3-month period to drive even higher levels of awareness and familiarity through the power of television advertising; even when starting from a very strong baseline. 

According to Nielsen, the auto brand’s aided awareness was already at a staggering level, similar to notable brands such as Coca-Cola, Apple, and McDonald's. Needless to say, they were in good company, but they felt they could aim even higher. To see just how high, they implemented a Nielsen brand lift study to measure the success of its TV investment.

But the task wasn’t without its challenges. Driving awareness for a well-established, household name is notoriously difficult. With summer being the busiest season for the auto retailer’s industry and competition heating up, the brand would have to face an uphill battle to break through the noise and capture the attention and mindshare of TV viewers to go above their already dominant awareness level. 

A Team Effort 

Wpromote partnered with Tatari to help meet their client’s aggressive brand goals on TV. Together, they devised a strategy centered on securing discounted, high-reach programming that aligned with the brand’s target audience. The campaign focused primarily on running in major sporting events including the Masters Tournament, the NBA and NHL Playoffs, national MLB games, and various PGA live tournaments. But programming was not limited to sports. The brand wanted to reach audiences on programs with massive ratings, so primetime TV favorites like The Masked Singer and Survivor were included.

The execution went far beyond simply selecting shows and buying airtime. Tatari worked closely with the Wpromote team in real-time, fostering collaboration through constant communication to create the ideal media plan. 

Serving as an extension of their teams, Tatari leveraged its deep network relationships to negotiate significant discounts on media that was competitive and difficult to secure, ensuring the campaign achieved the scale and efficiency needed to make an impact.

Crossing the Finish Line

Working closely with Wpromote, the auto service chain was able to deliver:

• Impressions: 246 million

• Reach/Frequency: 72 million reach with an average frequency of 3.4x

• Efficiency: Media negotiations yielded a 41% decrease in CPM, resulting in 139 million incremental impressions

But the real test came from the Nielsen study, which confirmed statistically significant lifts across key brand metrics:

• Aided Awareness: Increased 3%

• Favorability: Jumped up 8%

• Purchase Consideration: Rose 20%

The campaign boosted awareness and improved favorability and purchase consideration, proving that strategic TV advertising can still deliver measurable impact in today’s crowded and fragmented media landscape. Even with a high benchmark to begin with, the household brand proved it can still expand its reach and strengthen aided awareness. As for wondering if TV can still “move the needle,” the answer is an emphatic yes.