18 High Performing LinkedIn Lead Ad Examples for Automotive

Automotive buyers spend upwards of 13 hours researching and purchasing vehicles online. They visit multiple channels where a ton of information is available on each car.  

On these channels, you'll find high-quality leads for your automotive business. 

In this blog, we're diving into one such channel (and one of the largest social platforms today)—LinkedIn.

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The big question: Why LinkedIn?

An automobile is a massive financial investment for most buyers. And LinkedIn, the platform geared towards professionals, is where you can meet buyers with serious spending power. 

More importantly, the platform's audience is interested in purchasing vehicles. 

73% of LinkedIn users are looking for non-luxury vehicles, while 63% search for personal luxury vehicles.

Notably, the platform's marketing solutions have proven more successful in recent years.

• In Q4 of 2023, LinkedIn surpassed $15 billion in revenue for the first time. 
• It's also 3x more effective at steering auto dollar sales when compared to linear TV and other major social platforms. 

The above considerations indeed build a solid case for using LinkedIn in your automotive marketing strategy. 

To explore how to leverage the platform, take a look at some real examples. 

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18 real LinkedIn lead ads for automotive (and why they're so effective)

When it comes to automotive marketing on LinkedIn, the most relevant ad formats include single images, videos, carousels, and sponsored messages. Pair your ads with a lead generation form, and you can capture qualified leads in just a few steps. 

You can use native or web forms. Native forms offer a pre-fill option for a smooth customer experience, while you can customise web forms to fit your business needs.  

The distinct choice of ad formats with different lead form types makes lead generation flexible on LinkedIn. 

These real-world examples show how auto businesses have successfully navigated various lead ads with forms. 

A. Single Image ads

1. Porsche

Source: Porsche Centre Perth

Porsche perfectly shows us how 'less is more'. 

A single image with a powerful copy brings out what Porsche signifies for a buyer. The ad copy highlights the brand's ethos with a subtle reference to available offers. 

The CTA directs users to a landing page with a web form. This page is easy to navigate and encourages visitors to take action.  

Source: Porsche Centre Perth

2. GMC

Source: GMC

Source: GMC

‍Instead of overwhelming the buyer with multiple features in a single image, GMC focuses on one feature at a time. It's easier to consume and piques the lead's interest. The CTA copy is short but ties back effectively to the vehicle's USP. Users clicking on the CTA can view a web form pop-up on the landing page. If they wish to share details rather than scroll through the features page, they can do it quickly.  

Source: GMC‍

3. Honda 

Source: Honda, USA

‍Honda wastes no time getting into its first all-electric SUV offering. The image stays true to Honda's DNA of being a family car. The snappy copy captures attention and gives just enough breadcrumbs for leads to click on the CTA. Users can visit a custom, exclusive web page for the product on the Honda website.

4. Jaguar Land Rover 

Source: LinkedIn

‍After Covid disrupted the auto industry, Jaguar Land Rover wanted to boost sales with its 'Keep Calm and Lease' campaign. However, as a luxury brand, it also needed to target specific audiences willing to become customers. This ad from Jaguar Land Rover gives just enough details and maintains its niche brand image. It simplifies the buyer journey using pre-fill, native lead generation forms. Interested leads share their data on LinkedIn without being redirected to the website.Jaguar Land Rover’s approach brought in promising results:

• Compared to display ads, the brand generated 426% and 80% more leads for Land Rover and Jaguar, respectively. 
• It also maximised the ROI as CPL fell by 35% for Land Rover and 15% for Jaguar (compared to benchmarks). 

5. TrueCar, Inc.

Source: TrueCar, Inc.

‍TrueCar, a digital retail platform for new and used car dealers, used LinkedIn to reach a B2B audience of automotive dealers. A lead magnet is perfect for this audience. It allows you to gather important lead details in exchange for exclusive insights. Interested dealers can click on the download button, share their data within a native lead generation form, and instantly receive the report. 

Source: TrueCar, Inc.

B. Video ads

6. Mercedes-Benz

Source: Mercedes-Benz India

Mercedes-Benz leverages the heavyweight star power of celebrities like Roger Federer and Matthew Macfayden. 

The focus is on 'what makes a car a Mercedes'—how Mercedes-Benz is different from other brands. The stars captivate the viewer's attention, effectively conveying the message. 

Finally, the ad redirects to a landing page with a prominent 'contact us' CTA attached to a short lead form to collect leads quickly. On filling the form, leads also receive suggestions for their preferred dealer. 

Source: Mercedes-Benz India

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7. Suzuki 

Source: Suzuki Cars UAE

The Suzuki Jimny is famous for its off-roading prowess, becoming a lifestyle symbol for young buyers. So, when the brand upgraded its model, it used this lifestyle insight.  

In the above ad, happy faces of a group of friends look at the car in awe as it transforms from a 3-door to a 5-door. This compels viewers to join their experience and watch the entire video. 

The product landing page lists features with CTAs for different needs. 

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8. Bentley Motors 

Source: Bentley Motors

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Source: Bentley Motors

Bentley's spotlight on features shines through this ad, connecting human behaviour with the car's features. 

It relates the product to real-world situations, positively influencing the viewer about the features, why they've been incorporated, and how they elevate the driving experience. 

The ad then directs to a landing page with web forms for dual intent:

• 'Request test drive' qualifies high-intent leads.
• 'Download brochure' identifies leads with low intent that could be converted to high intent through remarketing. 

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Source: Bentley Motors

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9. BMW 

Source: BMW UK

Electric vehicles are climbing up the popularity charts. Yet, charging remains a significant problem. 

When BMW introduced the i5, the brand aimed to solve this pain point. It emphasised the model's ease of charging in public and at home. 

The ad copy also highlights that you can use the brand's app to find other charging points nearby or check the charge status. 

Like the Bentley, this ad redirects to a landing page with different web forms. Having more than one web form makes it easier for people to navigate different needs and for you to group them into relevant segments. 

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10. Hyundai 

Source: Hyundai Motors New Zealand

EVs cater to commercial buyers, too—a part of LinkedIn's diverse B2B audience. 

Hyundai leveraged the platform's targeting options for their latest offering, an electric truck for last-mile delivery. 

The ad, aimed at commercial customers, shows how the product's features solve specific pain points in last-mile delivery. 

It then redirects users to the product landing page, where they can choose to book a test drive, among other CTAs. 

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11. Morris Garages

Source: Morris Garages India

MG cleverly used humour to introduce its big offers through the video and ad copy. Even the thumbnail is larger than life—a dinosaur—making the audience want to click on the video to learn more. 

Although the brand uses no CTA, the video calls out specific offers. It's intriguing enough for users to visit the brand website and nearest dealerships. 

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12. Velocity 

Source: Velocity

Velocity shows how you can make a big impact even when operating on a smaller scale. 

The brand promotes itself as a vintage car 'manufacturer' instead of a restorer, but not everyone understands the significance. 

In this video ad, Velocity takes customers behind the scenes and shows them 'what makes a Velocity car' to clear up the confusion. 

It also uses high-res visuals to highlight manufacturing quality, instilling trust in buyers. 

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C. Carousel ads

13. Jeep

Source: Jeep

Jeep used the carousel ad format to promote offers on several products simultaneously. 

Since multiple models are involved in this post, the brand used additional fields in the lead form. 

Source: Jeep

Interested leads could choose between inquiring about offers or a test drive. And they could do so for their preferred model. 

The above two fields simplified the lead qualification process for Jeep at the data collection stage itself. 

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14. Porsche

Source: Porsche Centre Hull

Porsche generally markets to high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) who are executives or business leaders.

This carousel for Taycan Electric cheekily addresses the intended audience through its ad copy.

And since a carousel lets you break up a message into several individual media, the ad also includes the car's electric capabilities and powerful performance. 

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15. AMT Auto

Source: AMT Auto

AMT Auto aptly uses the carousel ad format to communicate multiple messages in a single post. 

This carousel lists six different products and prominently highlights their respective pricing. Interested buyers can browse through the entire carousel and have their pick. 

Each image links to the product-specific landing page, which means leads can inquire about their preferred vehicles without having to navigate through other products.

D. Message ads

16. Maserati

Source: LinkedIn

Maserati wanted to reach a highly targeted, niche buyer group of HNIs, executives, business leaders and entrepreneurs. The brand leveraged LinkedIn's diverse yet precise targeting capabilities to reach the right audience. 

Not only did Maserati maximise its visibility with the right buyer, it did so without losing exclusivity. The brand used Sponsored InMails with lead generation forms to personalise the outreach experience for each lead. 

It resulted in an open rate and click-through rate that was 60% higher than LinkedIn's benchmarks!

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17. BMW

Source: LinkedIn

BMW wanted to introduce its new offering to a very specific audience in Malaysia. 

Its aim–to attract high value professionals based on BMW's ideal customer profile. Alongside this, the brand needed to drive ROI and conversions. 

BMW used LinkedIn's audience exclusion feature in this instance for precise targeting. More interestingly, the brand used Sponsored InMail to retarget captured leads with personalised messages. 

This strategy worked, bringing in a 21% lower CPL for BMW. 

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18. Audi

For its flagship luxury offering, the Audi A8, the brand wanted to acquire high-quality leads from a niche audience.

The brand integrated existing customer insights with LinkedIn's age, industry and net worth targeting options to replicate its audience segmentation. 

It paired this with a more personalised message to the audience through Sponsored InMail, focusing on features and the 'future of luxury'. 

The campaign proved remarkably successful, attracting an open rate of over 66%. 

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The above ads highlight how brands can use similar formats to their advantage differently. But before you dive in, there are a few ground rules you shouldn't miss to get only the highest quality leads. 

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Best Practices

Follow these three best practices to excel at LinkedIn lead ads consistently:

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1. Use a mix of ad formats 

One format may not be enough to share all the information you have. 

Some details are best presented in a storytelling format (in a video), while others are pretty straightforward (as a single image). 

Each ad format caters to different audience preferences; it's best to use a mix.

Lastly, when audiences see the same ad repeatedly, it may cause ad fatigue. A mix of ad formats helps reduce this fatigue and maintain interest.

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2. Experiment with your ads and audience

If you're fairly new to LinkedIn ads or finding your way to successful lead campaigns, testing multiple ad options is the best way to weed out the mistakes. For instance, you can begin with broad targeting. As the ad runs for some time, you can use the ad reports to zero down on the most response audience. LinkedIn also lets you use matched audiences to optimise your audience, wherein you can:

• Create lookalike audiences from existing buyer segments
• Use website retargeting 
• Leverage contact and account targeting 

You can also experiment with ad formats, ad and image copy, and CTAs to determine what works best. 

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3. Make the most of automation 

Leveraging automation can reduce your time investment and avoid errors. Several reliable third-party platforms offer automated features such as lead sync or integration. 

Driftrock is one such automotive marketing platform. It not only integrates seamlessly with your CRM and marketing tools but also offers:

• Niche automotive sources and publishers
• Lead validation
• Custom audiences
• End-to-end tracking
• Conversion API, and
• Real-time insights to optimise for conversions and vehicle sales

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Consistently capture high-quality automotive leads on LinkedIn

To sum up, LinkedIn's ad formats and precise targeting features let you cater to a wide audience with serious spending power, including B2C and B2B. 

Leverage the above examples and best practices, along with a solid marketing and lead generation strategy, to get into the game. 

Driftrock's automotive marketing capabilities can give you an additional boost. It supports your LinkedIn lead campaigns with automated lead management, validation, and end-to-end tracking. 

We've enabled over $270 million in New Vehicle Sales in the last 12 months, working with 46 automotive brands across 12 markets to level up their marketing and lead generation efforts. 

Join the league! Sign up for The Driftrock Accelerator to access exclusive automotive marketing insights. 

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