Driving high value search leads for BMW in an industry first

Client: BMW

The automotive industry is heavily reliant on the generation of leads to capture interest from users potentially interested in their cars. BMW have historically placed focus on the volume of leads and overall cost per lead (CPL) generated, but as a result of the global supply chain disruptions post-Covid-19, BMW faced the challenge of meeting sales targets. They needed to shift their performance marketing approach to prioritise lead quality and conversion while maintaining cost efficiency.

With support from Google, we helped transition BMW to a value-based bidding model across their search efforts. We moved BMW’s substantial paid search activity from a cost and conversion-based bidding strategy to a ROAS model. In an industry-first, the model allowed for the prioritisation of lead generation to those actions that would drive sales rather than just lead volume. This was done using a combination of BMW’s first party sales data and historic PPC performance metrics to create a model which placed a value on a customer's propensity to convert to a sale based on the lead type they submitted. As a result, greater value was achieved with ROAS increasing by 82%, with an 80% increase in conversions of BMW’s highest value lead type.