Automotive Influencer Marketing
The New Auto Sales Playbook: Winning Customers Through Content
The car buying journey doesn’t start at the dealership anymore; they start on social media. From YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, creators are shaping perceptions long before test drives begin. They are seen as the trusted voices guiding that journey through reviews, lifestyle reels, and real-world experiences that build confidence faster than traditional ads.
In today’s auto industry:
Research vehicles online before purchase.
(Source: Google)
Of Gen Z say social media influences their buying decision.
(Source: Snapchat)
of shoppers agree creators make them consider buying a brand/model based on their recommendations.
(Source: Snapchat)
A new car purchase is one of the biggest investments one can make. Before an automotive brand can earn that purchase, powerful brand trust becomes non-negotiable early in the purchasing journey. At Open Influence, we help automotive brands show up where buying decisions are made. Our influencer marketing solutions turn real drivers and enthusiasts into your most persuasive sales and spokespeople, building awareness, credibility, and measurable sales impact across every platform where your next customer is.
Why Creator Marketing Works for Automotive Brands
Build Trust Through Real Drivers
Creators present a unique opportunity to show the everyday moments, the morning commute, the road trip, the charging stop that make a vehicle human and believable. That lived-in authenticity builds the kind of trust traditional advertising alone can’t.
Cars aren’t impulse buys; they’re emotional commitments. People want to see someone like them experience the vehicle over time before they believe the promise.
Influence the Digital Buyer Journey
Expand Awareness Beyond the Auto Crowd
Connect Product to Lifestyle
Specs sell performance, but stories sell belonging. Creator storytelling shows how your vehicle fits into real life: a silent EV commute, a quick weekend escape, a shared moment on the road. When people see a car in the context of their own life, it stops being a product and becomes a key part of their daily life.
Deliver Measurable ROI
Creator marketing blends authenticity with accountability. Every campaign can now track how content lifts awareness, search interest, or dealership visits. For automotive brands, this means connecting emotional influence to real business impact, a link that traditional media has never been able to quantify.
Proven Campaign Types That Drive Results
Every campaign type is designed to connect a viewer emotionally, convert rationally, and keep your brand top-of-mind throughout the buyer journey. These are some of the many types of campaigns we’ve executed, but aren’t the only ones we’ve done that have pushed the boundaries of what is possible.
Test Drive Challenges:
Real creators, real experiences that build confidence through hands-on storytelling.
Behind-the-Scenes Access
Exclusive looks at design, innovation, or production build credibility and intrigue.
Event Integrations:
Pair auto show launches and brand activations with creator coverage to maximize buzz and visibility.
Our Proven Work
The Genesis GV70 2024 Creator Program
Goal(s):
The objective was to empower creators across sub niches in art, fashion, beauty, and performance to produce a diverse array of content that strengthens brand credibility across a diverse group of lifestyle audiences.
Strategy:
We achieved this by selecting 6 top-tier creators to produce 105 pieces of content highlighting the vehicle’s design, technology, and versatility, using short-term leases to craft an authentic narrative of the GV70 across multiple content formats.
60M+ accounts reached.
22.5M+ views.
Subaru Loves the Earth Initiative
We partnered with Subaru for their Subaru Loves the Earth initiative in collaboration with our agency partner: Carmichael, an ongoing effort to preserve and protect the planet for future generations and combat the yearly loss of 36 million trees in the U.S., caused by aging forests, disease, pests, and severe weather.
Goal(s):
The objective was to empower creators across sub niches in art, fashion, beauty, and performance to produce a diverse array of content that strengthens brand credibility across a diverse group of lifestyle audiences.
Strategy:
With a selection of three creators highly aligned to Subaru’s goal: @farmernick, @chinesediscobaby and @thepeetes.
Each creator delivered content across Instagram Reels, Stories, TikTok, and YouTube, supported by a two-week paid amplification push across platforms. The organic, emotional, and visually driven content helped drive strong engagement throughout Earth Month and aligned naturally with Subaru’s Love Promise commitment to show care and respect in every interaction.
5.5M total followers targeted (15% above goal).
18.9M+ total impressions (56% above target).
999K+ engagements.
Additionally. The Campaign also received the Shorty Impact Award in Automotives. Read more here.
The Mercedes-Benz "Dream Days"
Goal(s):
The campaign aimed to elevate brand lift and consideration for the Dream Days sales event by connecting with audiences through authentic, creator-driven content. By linking luxury with aspiration, Mercedes-Benz created memorable digital experiences that resonated with a diverse social audience and reinforced itself as a brand that moves dreams forward.
Strategy:
The campaign was fully creator-driven, selecting influencers whose personal style aligned with the brand’s aspirational messaging. Each creator produced authentic content that communicated the experience and emotion of owning a Mercedes-Benz, using immersive storytelling to amplify engagement and showcase the 2024 lineup across social platforms.
48.7M+ Impressions.
18K+ Engagements.
Who We Help
Open Influence partners across every layer of the automotive ecosystem.
Tier 1
OEMs & Manufacturers:
Launch new EVs, spotlight ADAS innovations, and build emotional, technology-driven storytelling that shapes national demand.
Tier 2
Regional Dealer Groups & Marketing Associations:
Activate local and regional creator campaigns that drive leads, test-drive intent, and real dealership traffic.
Tier 3
Dealerships & Retail Locations:
Engage hyper-local creators to convert in-market shoppers and increase lot visits.
And also
Aftermarket & Accessories:
Showcase upgrades, builds, and UGC reviews that fuel purchase intent and enthusiast engagement.
Mobility & Service Brands:
Promote rideshare, insurance, charging, and service solutions with trusted, relatable creator content.
No matter the tier or segment, Open Influence connects your brand with creators who move audiences from awareness to action.
OI’s Full-Service Approach For Auto Brands
Every OI campaign combines creative excellence, brand safety, and advanced analytics, all optimized for automotive performance.
Creative Strategy
Studio OI pairs real-driver creator authenticity with diverse content styles ranging from cinematic, studio-grade production, and DIY/UGC styles to give automotive brands content that hits harder at every stage of the buyer journey. Think dynamic day in the life commentary, first-touch reactions, clear demos of EV features and ADAS tech, elevated lifestyle shots, and polished creator POVs that feel both real and premium.
Our premier content production capabilities also amplifies your existing in-house/external production teams to deliver cohesive and culturally impactful visuals so your brand stays in the conversation among both avid and casual auto enthusiasts.
The result is scroll-stopping, multi-platform content that makes your vehicle more believable, more desirable, and easier for buyers to picture in their own lives.
End-to-End Program Management
With one of the largest account management teams in the industry, OI handles your entire automotive creator program that fits your brand. From sourcing + vetting creators, we meticulously identify the faces with the deepest affinity to your brand that includes extensive background checks, auto-show attendance, share-of-voice in the auto niche, core values, creative execution, no DUIs, and so much more. We take every step to ensure you have confidence in who represents your brand.
We then streamline every step of campaign planning, creator coordination, content approvals, paid amplification, and reporting so your team gets turnkey execution, brand-safe storytelling, and maximum impact without the operational lift.
Advanced First Party Reporting
- Audience demographics
- Top-performing creator/content formats
- Top-performingCompetitor post activity & share of voice creator/content formats
- Industry-specific safety & relevance filters
Paid Amplification
OI amplifies your top-performing creator content using creator handles, unlocking paid media results that routinely outperform brand ads by up to 3X. For automotive brands, this means extending reach to in-market shoppers, retargeting high-intent shoppers, and driving measurable actions such as model page visits, test-drive signups, and dealer traffic.
Our paid strategy maximizes efficiency using:
- Creator-handle whitelisting for higher trust and CTR
- Precise audience targeting (EV shoppers, luxury buyers, families, performance enthusiasts)
- Cross-platform distribution optimized for conversions
Our Expertise
Award Winning Strategies
Compliance
Amplify Your Next Campaigns Further With OI Partners
To supercharge results, OI integrates with innovative partners that extend reach and conversion.
Kerv
Adds interactive QR actions within creator videos for direct engagement such as test drives or model pages.
NPRP Media
Exclusive looks at design, innovation, or production build credibility and intrigue.
Resonate
Uses audience profiling to target EV enthusiasts, luxury seekers, or family buyers.
Viasat
Delivers creator-driven content to in-flight passengers for contextual, captive engagement.
Drive Your Brand Forward With Open Influence
The automotive industry runs on innovation, performance, and connection, and so should your marketing.
At Open Influence, we help brands accelerate awareness, trust, and sales through creator partnerships that perform. Whether you’re launching a new EV, promoting aftermarket products, or revitalizing brand perception, we’ll help you dominate the digital showroom with measurable, authentic influence.