How PKW.de is Leveraging Media for Equity to Expand Its Automotive Market Reach - Case Study

PKW.de is a leading car exchange marketplace in Germany that aims to digitalize and simplify car trading through an innovative platform model for buying and selling vehicles. With over 160,000 vehicles listed and more than 3,000 car dealers on the platform, PKW.de offers one of the largest selections of immediately available used cars in Germany.

Their customer offering is further enhanced through partnerships with over 15 B2B partners providing financial and logistical services, including banking, insurance, and shipping.

In 2024 PKW.de sought to increase demand

The company invested heavily in activation channels and search engine marketing to provide dealers with the most affordable qualified leads. In 2024 PKW.de sought to rapidly increase its reach and brand awareness in Germany. With the support of TV advertising, PKW.de aimed to establish itself as the price-performance leader while further boosting brand recognition.

PKW.de entered into a multi-year partnership with German Media Pool, securing up to €3.4M in media capital funding (media for equity). This investment enabled PKW.de to enhance its brand visibility by reaching millions of German TV viewers through the platforms of German Media Pool’s media partners.

From March to July 2024, 2,526 PKW.de TV spots aired across channels like RTL2, Sport1, and Deluxe Music.

This partnership followed PKW.de’s participation in the MFG Fundraising Programme, a specialised initiative for brands to secure their first media capital fundraising, with German Media Pool as one of the funding partners.

Through our media investor - GMPVC, we are leveraging TV advertising to boost brand awareness. Our strategy is heavily focused on making our brand memorable. Since intensifying our advertising efforts, our performance metrics have surpassed expectations, with high response rates indicating the effectiveness of our strategy. Christopher Kallhoff, CEO at PKW.de

PKW doubles search traffic within one month
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“Since we began investing in TV advertising, our business performance has exceeded expectations.”

Branded search traffic doubled in April 2024, just a month after the TV campaign launched, compared to January 2024. *Branded search traffic is an excellent indicator of high-intent brand awareness. It shows not only that people are aware of the brand, as measured by brand recall, but also that they are actively seeking more information about it. This suggests that increasing brand awareness can effectively drive purchase intent.

The total number of leads increased steadily, with an 18% growth in April compared to February (before the campaign aired). The average user engagement has increased by more than 12%.

C2B purchase (car dealerships buying cars from consumers -> remarketing)

Creative Concept

PKW.de’s TV ad was nominated for “Creation of the Month” by HORIZONT shortly after airing. Produced by DOG EAR FILMS GmbH, this nomination places PKW.de alongside creative powerhouses like Adidas and Aral.

The commercial humorously portrays the confusion between two friends, Bejean Banner and Sascha Wolf, who are overwhelmed by the abundance of choices when buying or selling cars, whether online or at a dealership. Fortunately, a navigation system steps in, confidently guiding them: “At PKW.de, you can do both—buy and sell cars, online or at the dealership, stress-free and with excellent customer service.” The spot concludes with the familiar earworm of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

Future Outlook

PKW.de aims to empower automotive businesses to expand beyond traditional sales models.

By leveraging their lead generation capabilities, dealers will be able to sell accessories, even for workshops, and offer used cars as “Mobility as a Service,” including car subscriptions and rentals.

Chris adds: As the industry evolves, we see a significant opportunity for car dealers to transition into mobility service providers, utilising digital tools to increase revenue with their existing assets. We also recognize the importance of digital transformation in local trade, providing transactional options like online purchases to cater to the next generation of buyers.

The company is also exploring the potential of B2B vehicle trading as a new product offering, opening up further avenues for growth and innovation in the automotive market.