Luxury isn’t losing traction. Vicinity Media’s global-first visit attribution data shows that, even in a strained economy, South African consumers are still visiting dealerships for premium and luxury vehicles at impressive rates. While value-driven campaigns dominate the economy segment, the average visit uplift for luxury models (42.08%) trails economy vehicles (58.54%) by just 16.45% – proving that aspiration is translating into real-world action.
This highlights a critical insight for automotive marketers: continued investment in luxury brand campaigns is essential – not just to maintain engagement, but to convert aspiration into action.
Year-round campaigns: Sustaining buying behaviour beyond payday
Marketers often concentrate promotions around periods of high disposable income, like year-end bonuses or post-payday spikes, with good reason. These moments reliably boost both engagement and in-store visits.
Our real-world location data confirms this pattern across the automotive industry, showing clear peaks in dealership visits during key financial periods. However, focusing solely on these windows means missing valuable opportunities throughout the rest of the year.
Consumers remain aspirational and highly responsive. With the right message, channel, and timing, brands can spark action even outside traditional 'high-spend' moments.
With Vicinity Media's first-party location data, Vicinity 4D targeting, and measurement innovation, you can plan ahead to engage consumers at the right time on the channels that will drive engagement and footfall all year round.
Vicinity Media tip: To maximise impact, brands should plan promotions and campaigns strategically throughout the year – not just when wallets are full.
Measuring what matters: Real-world ROI with Vicinity Media
In a competitive market, proving real-world impact is essential. Vicinity Media’s first-party location data powers a suite of measurement innovations that go far beyond traditional metrics like impressions and clicks.
Our Visibility measurement analytics captures the full picture of campaign effectiveness by:
- Measuring dealership visit uplift to quantify whether campaigns are actually driving footfall.
- Identifying peak visit days, enabling better campaign timing and optimisation.
- Mapping influence from digital screens to physical locations, supporting smarter media planning.
- Revealing behavioural intent based on real-world consumer movement like visits to dealerships, malls, schools or gyms.
By combining mobile retargeting, DOOH, and location-based signals, Vicinity Media connects the dots between exposure and action providing marketers with proof of performance and a true read on ROI.
Key takeaway for brands
Economic pressure hasn’t killed aspiration – it’s simply made timing more important. Brands that build consistent, well-timed campaigns across the year, rather than waiting for year-end sales or payday peaks, will be best placed to win both clicks and customers. Consumers still want more. Make sure you're there when they’re ready to act.
