Why Brand Matters in Automotive PPC

If you put five automotive PPC ads side by side, could you tell them apart?

For years, automotive PPC has been dominated by a direct-response mindset: get clicks, get leads, and generate sales. However, in 2025, the brands outperforming their competitors are those moving beyond this transactional approach. Your brand is more than modifying your logo, fixing up the typography and changing the colours. It’s about how your audience perceives you as a company, and whether you’re seen as credible, reliable, and worth their time and money when it matters most. 

The reason is simple: rising digital saturation, escalating ad costs, and increasingly fragmented customer journeys mean you can no longer outbid the competition. You need to outbrand them.

Here’s why brand is now a critical performance lever in automotive PPC, backed by hard data.

Differentiation Has Collapsed in Paid Search

In the UK automotive space, search ads have become almost indistinguishable. Nearly every ad claims to offer “from £199/month,” “in stock now,” or “free delivery.” The widespread use of Performance Max campaigns has only accelerated this issue. PMAX utilises machine learning to generate ad creatives across various platforms, including Search, YouTube, Display, and others, often drawing from a pool of generic templates. As a result, many automotive ads end up looking the same, relying on the exact phrases to seem relevant across multiple channels, rather than offering something unique that stands out. Enter heavy brand focus.

The result is a price-driven race to the bottom, where brand is one of the only remaining levers to stand out. A distinctive, credible, and recognisable brand presence doesn’t just attract attention – it builds confidence and preference in an otherwise homogenous SERP.

Without the brand name visible, a Google ad becomes just another generic offer, indistinguishable from competitors and stripped of the trust, credibility, and emotional connection that a strong brand provides.

What to focus on – when offers are near-identical, brand familiarity tips the decision in your favour.

“Automotive buyers today use an average of 23 touchpoints before committing to a vehicle purchase. Of those 23 touchpoints, 18 are digital”

Trust is the New Conversion Driver

In a digital world where trust is as rare as a parking space on a Saturday afternoon in the city centre, people tend to click on what feels familiar and credible. Brand, in this case, acts as your digital trust badge – and the numbers don’t lie. We’ve all heard the adage, “you buy cheap, you buy twice,” from our teenage years, and while I’m not suggesting that budget car leasing companies have bad customer service, the logic still applies. Potential customers are far more likely to lease from a provider they’ve heard good things about through word of mouth or whose brand they’ve spotted making a consistent online presence.

A 2021 study revealed that British businesses risk losing a significant portion of their customer base if they don’t prioritise trust, with 71% of UK consumers stating they will stop purchasing from a company altogether if their trust is broken. So, it’s clear – building and maintaining trust isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must.

What to focus on – building brand equity isn’t just a long-term play; it’s a multiplier for short-term performance.

The Automotive Customer Journey Is Non-Linear – Brand Keeps You Top of Mind

Automotive buyers today use an average of 23 touchpoints before committing to a vehicle purchase (AutoTrader UK). They bounce between channels – comparing reviews, watching TikToks, reading site content, clicking on social ads, and returning to Google-branded searches before finally converting. 

Of those 23 touchpoints, 18 are digital in nature. That’s significant. To truly stand out, simply listing a car with a price won’t be enough anymore. Your brand needs to follow them on the journey.

Google’s Messy Middle research confirms that brand familiarity increases purchase likelihood by up to 3x, even when other options appear better on paper.

Success now comes from maintaining visibility and consistency throughout the entire journey – something only a strong, recognisable brand can achieve.

According to a 2024 research study by Cox Automotive, the average time spent researching and online shopping was seven hours, compared to two hours and fifty-one minutes spent visiting dealerships. 

Source – 2024 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study

What to focus on – if buyers remember your brand across multiple touchpoints, you reduce friction, lower your cost per lead (CPL), and increase conversion rates.

Brand Strengthens Performance in a Volatile Market

Automotive advertisers have faced significant market fluctuations in recent years, including chip shortages, shifts in EV regulations, and rising interest rates. During these periods, performance metrics often swing unpredictably.

In Q3 2023, automotive advertisers with established brand equity saw just a 7% increase in CPA, while non-branded competitors experienced a 28% rise.

Why? Buyers continue searching for brands they trust, even during periods of uncertainty. 

Familiar names outperform in both stable and unstable markets, providing a buffer against CPC volatility and leading cost inflation.

Further supporting this, McKinsey has conducted research highlighting the advantages of long-term strategic investments, including branding, particularly during economic downturns.

What to focus on – strengthen your brand to enhance resilience against market turmoil and CPC inflation. A strong brand can help maintain lead generation efficiency, even in the face of unpredictable external factors.

Case Study – Octopus’s Brand-First Approach (and Why It Paid Off)

Octopus Energy has quickly become a standout name in the UK electric vehicle (EV) market, leveraging its established brand equity in the energy sector to capture significant market share in the growing EV and Salary Sacrifice sectors. Even without the pink octopus, the purple background alone is enough to recognise the brand.

Octopus EV’s Market Success

Since entering the electric vehicle (EV) space, Octopus Energy has positioned itself as a leading provider of both electric vehicle (EV) leasing and public charging services. The brand’s expansion has been powered by its ability to transfer consumer trust from its energy roots into the mobility sector, supported by savvy marketing, precise positioning positioning, and sustained investment in performance and brand campaigns.

A key factor in Octopus EV’s success has been the long-term investment in brand equity. Consumers tend to gravitate toward brands they are familiar with, especially when making high-commitment decisions, such as leasing a vehicle. Octopus Energy’s reputation for customer service, transparency, and tech-led solutions provided a strong foundation for launching Octopus EV.

The data shows that Octopus EV has been on an upward trajectory since early 2022. 

And it didn’t happen overnight. Industry data from Sistrix shows a sharp increase in Organic Search visibility from early 2023; however, this upward trend only emerged after consistent brand activity throughout 2022. PPC campaigns, content marketing, and PR combined with brand-building created a launchpad for rapid acceleration.

According to Ahrefs, Octopus EV’s branded organic search traffic has more than doubled since 2022, and now makes up over 60% of its highest-performing keywords. That kind of growth indicates stronger brand recognition and trust, which brings tangible advantages. Branded clicks tend to cost less and convert more effectively, helping to reduce overall PPC spend. At the same time, non-branded search traffic has also grown, particularly around salary sacrifice and EV leasing, indicating that brand-building efforts have enhanced both loyalty and visibility.

Octopus EV’s success is a prime example of how powerful a brand can be in driving performance in both the short and long term. By leveraging its reputation for reliability and customer service, Octopus has expanded its offerings in a competitive market and seen impressive growth in both fleet size and Salary Sacrifice uptake.

For automotive businesses, Octopus EV highlights the value of investing in brand recognition. A strong, well-recognised brand not only attracts customers but also fosters trust, which in turn leads to higher conversion rates and long-term customer loyalty. In today’s automotive landscape, a strong brand presence is just as critical as competitive pricing and product offerings.

Final Thought: Performance Needs Brand More Than Ever

The old division between “brand” and “performance” is outdated. In today’s automotive PPC landscape, the most effective strategies are those that combine brand and performance.

Your ads must convert, but they also need to mean something. If you want that customer to keep coming back, your brand is integral to their experience. Every keyword, visual, and message should reflect your brand’s value and foster a sense of familiarity. This consistency drives better CTR, stronger conversion rates, and lower lead costs. You would be lying if you said you didn’t want that.

When we run brand campaigns, we utilise PPC and other channels to ensure your name appears where it matters. The truth is, the best results come when you’re investing in being known, not just being found.

That’s the difference between being an option and being the first choice.