CTV and OTT Advertising for Dealerships: When It Beats Google Ads

Liz Mbwambo
Jan 27
5 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Dealership advertising is undergoing a significant transformation. Nearly 91% of adults planning to buy or lease a vehicle in the next year are watching ad-supported OTT (Over-The-Top) streaming TV—and 92% of recent car buyers are, too (premion.com). As of 2025, approximately 88% of U.S. households have at least one streaming video service.

If your dealership is relying solely on traditional TV or Google Ads, you may be missing a large portion of in-market buyers. For more actionable strategies, see the marketing challenges we solve for dealerships.

CTV vs. OTT: What’s the Difference for Dealerships?

Connected TV (CTV) advertising for dealerships refers to ads shown on smart TVs or streaming devices like Roku and Fire TV.
In contrast, Over-The-Top (OTT) advertising for car dealers includes all streaming content delivered over the internet, such as on mobile and desktop.

CTV typically reaches households in their living rooms with non-skippable ads, while OTT delivers targeted video ads across a broader range of devices.

Both approaches allow dealerships to target audiences with precision and measure engagement, making every ad dollar more effective.

Both CTV and OTT allow for privacy-focused, data-driven targeting, which is crucial as third-party cookies are being phased out and first-party data becomes more valuable for dealership marketing.

When Do CTV and OTT Beat Google Ads for Dealerships?

Dealerships often ask which digital channel delivers the best results. The data shows that OTT advertising for dealerships and CTV advertising dealerships frequently outperform Google Ads when it comes to ROI and targeting in-market buyers. CTV campaigns in the automotive sector achieve 30% higher ROI than other marketing channels (demandlocal.com).

Streaming TV reach can be even more precise at a hyper-local level, with CTV now enabling targeting down to a household—not just a zip code.

For example, a Cherry Hill Audi campaign achieved a 96.4% inventory turnover—setting a new standard for regional dealers—by focusing on targeted CTV ads (demandlocal.com).

With streaming TV ads for dealerships able to reach up to 91% of buyers, the impact is substantial. For those looking to maximize their ad spend with precision, working with a specialized media buying agency can deliver the targeting and performance today’s market requires.

When Google Ads Still Win for Dealerships

While CTV and OTT are powerful, Google Ads for automotive dealerships remain crucial for certain objectives. Google Ads are unmatched in generating immediate lead volume, especially via local intent searches and YouTube’s reach. However, rising cost-per-clicks and decreasing organic visibility mean dealerships must constantly optimize to maintain efficiency (anytimedigitalmarketing.com).

Google Ads’ Performance Max campaigns also allow dealers to reach customers across display, YouTube, Discover, and Gmail from a single campaign.

As digital marketing expert Vatsyayan Kishlay observes, “Google Ads leads in volume and broad reach, thanks to YouTube’s scale…Advertisers prioritizing mass awareness favor Google” (LinkedIn).

For many, a well-managed paid search management strategy is still central to the funnel.

The Winning Combo: CTV, Retargeting, and Search

The future of dealership marketing is not about choosing a single channel. Integrated campaigns that blend CTV, retargeting, and search consistently deliver stronger results. Multi-channel strategies—combining CTV with other digital tactics—drive 200% higher conversions than CTV alone, and cross-device retargeting can lift click-through rates by nearly half (demandlocal.com).

Implementing cross-device retargeting can increase click-through rates by nearly 48%, ensuring that ad recall remains high throughout the buyer journey.

To build this winning combination, a dealership marketing agency can help you:

Launch CTV campaigns targeting in-market buyers.
Set up retargeting across devices for visitors who engaged but didn’t convert.
Reinforce visibility with search ads for high-intent keywords.
Measure results using attribution tools.

For guidance on integrating these channels, see how a dealership marketing agency can help maximize your ROI.

Creative That Drives Results for Dealerships

Not all video ads are created equal. Dynamic, VIN-level, and interactive creative consistently outperform traditional formats for dealerships. Campaigns using dynamic CTV ads have achieved a 97.8% video completion rate and led to significant lifts in both site traffic and inventory turnover (madhive.com).

Emerging creative formats now let viewers engage with ads in real time, even enabling shoppable experiences directly from the TV screen.

Dealerships that leverage targeted video ads for auto dealers—especially those that personalize offers or enable shoppable experiences—see higher engagement and more qualified leads.

For inspiration and execution, our content creation services can help you develop compelling video and social content.

Targeting and Measurement: How Dealers Get Real ROI

The real power of CTV and OTT comes from advanced targeting and tracking. Dealerships can now use geo-targeting, household-level data, and even footfall attribution—which tracks when viewers exposed to your ad visit your showroom.

For example, a Pennsylvania dealership’s CTV campaign resulted in 472 in-store visitors, over 2.7 million impressions, and a 97.8% video completion rate, all tracked through footfall attribution (madhive.com).

Using VIN-level data, dealerships can target specific vehicle offers to matched audiences, further boosting the relevance and conversion potential of their ads. CRM matchback strategies further allow you to connect ad exposures to actual sales, giving a true view of digital marketing ROI for car dealerships.

To see more real-world performance, check out our marketing case studies for dealerships and other local businesses.

Compliance, Brand Safety, and Privacy in CTV/OTT Advertising

Staying compliant and protecting your brand is critical. With regulations like CCPA and GDPR, dealerships must provide clear privacy notices and give users control over their data. Industry standards like IAB’s device attestation and privacy-first targeting help campaigns remain effective and responsible.

Industry advancements such as the IAB’s Device Attestation help combat ad fraud by allowing ads to be delivered only to genuine devices.

Privacy-first targeting and transparent data practices are now the baseline for every dealership campaign.

By prioritizing compliance and brand safety from the start, dealerships can avoid reputational risks and build lasting trust in their communities.

See the Results: CTV/OTT in Action for Dealerships

The impact of targeted CTV/OTT is best seen in action. Cherry Hill Audi’s CTV campaign delivered a 96.4% inventory turnover—the first time any regional Audi dealer exceeded 90% (demandlocal.com).

Similarly, a Pennsylvania dealership’s CTV campaign brought in 472 new showroom visits thanks to advanced attribution and targeted creative (madhive.com).

Dealerships using advanced attribution methodologies, such as sales match-back, can clearly connect ad exposure to vehicle sales, giving a more accurate picture of campaign ROI.

Ready to Drive More Sales?

Dealerships that harness the full power of streaming TV, integrated retargeting, and precise measurement are positioned to win in today’s market. As the automotive advertising market becomes more fragmented, only those who leverage these data-driven, privacy-compliant strategies will lead the market.

Schedule a Free Consultation with our Orlando marketing agency to see how you can drive more leads and sales with a strategy built for the next generation of car buyers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between CTV and OTT advertising for dealerships?

CTV runs on smart TVs and streaming devices, while OTT covers streaming ads delivered over the internet across devices like mobile, desktop, and TV.

When do CTV and OTT work better than Google Ads for dealerships?

They tend to shine when the goal is stronger audience targeting and high-impact awareness with measurable outcomes, especially when paired with inventory or offer-focused creative.

What does a strong integrated strategy look like with CTV, retargeting, and search?

Run CTV to reach in-market buyers, retarget engaged viewers across devices, then capture high-intent demand through search ads for dealership and inventory-related terms.

How can dealerships measure ROI from CTV and OTT?

By using attribution methods like showroom visit tracking, geo-based measurement, and CRM matchback that connects ad exposure to leads and sales outcomes.