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 and marketing combine leans closely in the 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.
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 and marketing combine leans closely in the 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 position, 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 in addition 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 Week. “Once I first joined [in June 2023], TikTok was one thing we’d use only for launches or huge above-the-line campaigns. However the platform has grown a lot — it now sits alongside Meta and Google as certainly one of our huge 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 bought to.
David Wreford-Glanvill, BYD
In addition to designing automobiles, BYD additionally makes batteries, buses and vitality storage. Because of this, Wreford-Glanvill says BYD views itself as a “world tech model” reasonably than only a automobile 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 expertise, not simply autos.”
In keeping with Wreford-Glanvill, TikTok’s format lets the model exhibit its persona. “You might 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 another way — you possibly can’t simply reduce a 30-second TV advert into six and count on it to work.”
The model runs consciousness, consideration and lead-generation exercise collectively, reasonably than individually, which Wreford-Glanvill says is “advertising and marketing 101”. “However a number of manufacturers nonetheless don’t do it,” he provides. “Whenever you run all three collectively, you see higher outcomes in all places.”
What the TikTok US deal means for manufacturers and creators
That willingness to adapt has helped BYD construct relevance quick. The model estimates that round three-quarters of its TikTok exercise entails creator collaborations reasonably than in-house manufacturing.
“Creator content material at all times outperforms,” says Wreford-Glanvill. “It feels native to the platform. Folks come to TikTok to be entertained, to not be bought to.”
The model has experimented with creators from skate boarders to cyclists, utilizing them to display BYD’s expertise in on a regular basis contexts. “We’ll present the automobile’s rotating touchscreen or battery tech, however we’ll do it by the lens of somebody’s way of life.”
For BYD, the shift to efficiency advertising and marketing on TikTok has been pushed partially by the platform itself. The launch of TikTok’s Automotive Advertisements and AI-driven focusing on supply Sensible+ implies that unique gear producers (OEMs) and dealerships can join with clients who they may not have in any other case thought-about.
Wreford-Glanvill describes the automated advert placement and testing supply as a “game-changer”. “We’re getting extra leads at a decrease price [than Meta], and we’ve managed to extend spend with out shedding effectivity, which we couldn’t have achieved six months in the past.”
Convincing stakeholders
It took time to persuade inner stakeholders of the relevance of being on TikTok, although, says Wreford-Glanvill.
“Initially, some individuals questioned why we had been placing finances into TikTok when the associated 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 a giant quantity of certified leads, and it’s grow to be 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 price, 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 group. To do natural correctly, you want individuals producing TikToks repeatedly. However we’re getting there. We’ve received partnerships coming that’ll increase that progress additional.”
For TikTok, BYD’s success is proof that the automotive trade is rediscovering its inventive confidence.
“Auto manufacturers had been as soon as probably the most thrilling advertisers round,” says Kristina Karassoulis, head of auto model partnerships at TikTok UK. “Within the Nineteen Seventies and Nineteen Nineties, they set the bar for inventive storytelling. Then all of it received a bit predictable — automobiles driving on mountain roads, dramatic voiceovers. TikTok’s introduced that spark again. You can also make one thing imperfect however sensible, and it’ll work.”
How EV model BYD used focused media to make its mark in Europe
The platform’s automotive group works instantly with manufacturers to form campaigns that match each tone and viewers. “We wish auto advertisers to assume past automobile content material,” Karassoulis provides. “Discuss journey, trend, 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 in search of 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 do this so properly — 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.”
