Because of its experience developing videos for clients, TurnKey provided feedback while Facebook was developing the Video Creation Kit. When the tool was rolled out across all platforms, TurnKey decided to test it out with one of its major automotive clients, Huntington Beach Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, to promote the dealer’s Black Friday sale.

To create the short video ad, the team selected a ready-made template from the kit and designed it to be a plug-and-play blueprint for future campaigns. The ads used 2 images and motion graphics to showcase the interior and exterior of the vehicle on offer, and also communicated sale pricing.

Black Friday split test
The agency tested the video ad against a photo ad featuring the exterior of the featured auto and the sales pricing. Using Facebook’s A/B split test option in Ads Manager, one randomized group of people saw the video ad and another randomized group saw the photo ad. Both ads had equal budgets. At the end of the test, the video ad had yielded great results, while the photo ad had delivered zero car sales or closed repair orders.

Follow-up with multiple dealerships
After the Black Friday test, the team expanded testing to 2 more dealerships—Galpin Ford and Cherry Hill Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. This time, the agency tested the video and photo ads as separate standalone ads in the same campaign, running during the same timeframe and with equal budgets. The team selected Facebook’s campaign budget optimization, which allows Facebook to put more budget toward the highest-performing ad. In this test environment, the photo ads did bring sales and service appointments. But with every test, car shoppers began to favor the video more, so video won—both in terms of budget and on the dealers’ lots.