As a challenger model hailing from China, BYD confronted an uphill battle when it comes to gaining market share in Europe. As an unknown entity within the UK, coming into an more and more crowded EV market, constructing model consciousness has been key.
BYD’s advertising combine leans closely in direction of digital, with Meta, Google and TikTok forming a key a part of its core always-on technique, with paid social and search sitting alongside programmatic and YouTube.
Credit score: Roman Zaiets / Shutterstock
As a challenger model hailing from China, BYD confronted an uphill battle when it comes to gaining market share in Europe. As an unknown entity within the UK, coming into an more and more crowded EV market, constructing model consciousness has been key.
BYD’s advertising combine leans closely in direction of digital, with Meta, Google and TikTok forming a key a part of its core always-on technique, with paid social and search sitting alongside programmatic and YouTube.
Conventional media nonetheless performs a supporting function, significantly out of doors and sponsorship round main launches. The model additionally makes use of TV promoting sporadically, generally across the time of a launch but additionally to advertise its flagship or hottest fashions.
“TikTok is now a part of our always-on media combine,” David Wreford-Glanvill, head of paid media at BYD Europe, tells Advertising and marketing Week. “After I first joined [in June 2023], TikTok was one thing we’d use only for launches or massive above-the-line campaigns. However the platform has grown a lot — it now sits alongside Meta and Google as certainly one of our massive three.”
The European arm of BYD launched its TikTok account six months after Wreford-Glanvill joined. Since then, the platform has allowed it to construct broader consciousness and join with a spread of audiences, he says.
Folks come to TikTok to be entertained, to not be offered to.
David Wreford-Glanvill, BYD
In addition to designing automobiles, BYD additionally makes batteries, buses and vitality storage. Consequently, Wreford-Glanvill says BYD views itself as a “world tech model” fairly than only a automotive marque, which is one thing it makes use of the platform to speak. “TikTok lets us specific that aspect of the enterprise extra creatively,” he explains. “It helps us present that BYD is about innovation and know-how, not simply autos.”
In accordance with Wreford-Glanvill, TikTok’s format lets the model showcase its persona. “You will be freer with the inventive [than on other platforms]. Folks need content material that feels genuine, not overly polished. It forces us to assume in a different way — you may’t simply lower a 30-second TV advert into six and count on it to work.”
The model runs consciousness, consideration and lead-generation exercise collectively, fairly than individually, which Wreford-Glanvill says is “advertising 101”. “However numerous manufacturers nonetheless don’t do it,” he provides. “If you run all three collectively, you see higher outcomes all over the place.”
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That willingness to adapt has helped BYD construct relevance quick. The model estimates that round three-quarters of its TikTok exercise entails creator collaborations fairly than in-house manufacturing.
“Creator content material all the time outperforms,” says Wreford-Glanvill. “It feels native to the platform. Folks come to TikTok to be entertained, to not be offered to.”
The model has experimented with creators from skate boarders to cyclists, utilizing them to reveal BYD’s know-how in on a regular basis contexts. “We’ll present the automotive’s rotating touchscreen or battery tech, however we’ll do it by way of the lens of somebody’s life-style.”
For BYD, the shift to efficiency advertising on TikTok has been pushed partly by the platform itself. The launch of TikTok’s Automotive Adverts and AI-driven focusing on supply Good+ signifies that authentic gear producers (OEMs) and dealerships can join with prospects who they may not have in any other case thought of.
Wreford-Glanvill describes the automated advert placement and testing supply as a “game-changer”. “We’re getting extra leads at a decrease value [than Meta], and we’ve managed to extend spend with out shedding effectivity, which we couldn’t have executed six months in the past.”
Convincing stakeholders
It took time to persuade inside stakeholders of the relevance of being on TikTok, although, says Wreford-Glanvill.
“Initially, some individuals questioned why we had been placing funds into TikTok when the fee per lead was increased than Meta,” he recollects. “However we caught with it. After six to 9 months, the numbers spoke for themselves.”
“We’re now seeing TikTok ship an enormous quantity of certified leads, and it’s change into a everlasting a part of our always-on technique,” he provides. “It’s gone from one thing we needed to defend to one thing we’d be questioned for not doing.”
We’re getting extra leads at a decrease value, and we’ve managed to extend spend with out shedding effectivity.
David Wreford-Glanvill, BYD
Though paid exercise stays dominant, accounting for roughly 95% of BYD’s attain on the platform, the model’s natural presence is rising too.
“Natural progress takes time,” he admits. “We got here into the market as a brand new model, with a small crew. To do natural correctly, you want individuals producing TikToks commonly. However we’re getting there. We’ve acquired partnerships coming that’ll enhance that progress additional.”
For TikTok, BYD’s success is proof that the automotive business is rediscovering its inventive confidence.
“Auto manufacturers had been as soon as essentially the most thrilling advertisers round,” says Kristina Karassoulis, head of auto model partnerships at TikTok UK. “Within the Seventies and Nineties, they set the bar for inventive storytelling. Then all of it acquired a bit predictable — automobiles driving on mountain roads, dramatic voiceovers. TikTok’s introduced that spark again. You can also make one thing imperfect however good, and it’ll work.”
How EV model BYD used focused media to make its mark in Europe
The platform’s automotive crew works straight with manufacturers to form campaigns that match each tone and viewers. “We would like auto advertisers to assume past automotive content material,” Karassoulis provides. “Speak about journey, style, artwork, tradition — that’s how you discover new audiences. TikTok’s feed doesn’t care about classes; it cares about what individuals love.”
BYD is now on the lookout for methods to make its content material extra culturally related. “We’d like to do one thing that faucets right into a UK cultural second,” says Wreford-Glanvill.
“You see manufacturers like Specsavers or Aldi try this so effectively — quick, witty, completely on-brand. It’s more durable in automotive as a result of the planning cycles are longer, however that’s what we’re aiming for.”
