Streaming advertising isn’t working for your dealership? This might be why.

Unlike traditional media buying, streaming is digital, hyper-fragmented, and constantly evolving. It requires more control points to manage and optimize. For dealerships, the opportunity is massive but so is the complexity.

Campaigns must reach across hundreds of CTV and audio apps, each with different inventory rules and contracts. Audience targeting requires extensive modeling of the automotive customer journey, with precise segment filtering, strategic spend allocations, and frequent upkeep. Geotargeting must reflect the territories that actually drive value—not just everywhere you sell, or some pre-assigned region. Budget planning needs to align with market size and frequency goals. Even attribution demands cross-channel measurement that connects online and offline conversions in a privacy-compliant way.

It’s a lot to get right. And that’s exactly why so many campaigns don’t. But when you do, the results are significant.

Most dealership campaigns fall short not because streaming doesn’t work, but because the campaign isn’t aligned to what actually drives results.

That alignment is what we call Campaign Health. It’s a measure of how well your streaming campaign aligns with the conditions that lead to market share growth.

Dealerships with a high Campaign Health score saw an average market share lift of 21.8% in just 90 days.

Every dealership is different—different market size, buyer territory, and sales goals. So Campaign Health isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s based on six core levers that, when optimized together for your unique dealership, allow your streaming to reach the right buyers, in the right market, at the right time.

While this all may sound complex, that’s exactly what Maven, EMG’s streaming analytics platform, is designed to simplify. Maven produces the unique Campaign Health blueprint for your dealership based on your dealership’s sales and market data and thousands of our historical campaign outcomes. It knows exactly how your campaign can be adjusted to maximize market share growth.

Campaign Health depends on six key factors working together. Each lever influences your campaign’s ability to reach the right buyers, at the right time, with the right message—and maximize your return.

Let’s break down what these six levers are and why they matter:

1.   Geotargeting

Focus your campaign on where your buyers actually are. Maven applies modeled filtering to your dealership’s vehicle registration data, pinpointing the precise ZIP codes responsible for over 80% of your dealership’s new vehicle sales. This is where your true backyard is, or your Local Market Area, where your advertising will have the greatest returns.

2.   Budget

There’s a specific spend required to reach all the streaming car buyers in this local market at the right frequency. Maven calculates that number based on your market size and your dealership’s goals—whether defending or growing market share.

3.   Audience

Target car buyers across their full consideration window—pre-market, in-market, and conquest—using segments and spend distributions modeled on actual conversions, not assumptions.

4.   Media mix

Use a multi-channel strategy across Connected TV, digital audio, and display. Each format plays a unique role in reaching and influencing buyers and needs the right portion of your budget.

5.   Flight duration

Stream every month, all month. Time in market matters. Late-month blitzes can hurt performance by inflating frequency and shrinking reach.

6.   Creative

Use video and audio that speak directly to each audience’s intent—from brand messaging for early shoppers to offers for in-market buyers. Make sure all creative meets technical specs for seamless delivery across platforms.

Streaming works for automotive, but the difference between average and exceptional campaigns comes down to getting every lever right. The best audience segments won’t deliver if they’re targeting the wrong market. A proper budget won’t move the needle if it’s limited to just a handful of apps. And blasting ads to an unfiltered audience for the entire month won’t convert buyers.

Get every lever right with Maven and turn your streaming spend into measurable market share growth.

Create your best campaign today.