How a targeted YouTube TV sports advertising strategy helped a Texas Buick GMC dealer capture the Dallas market and reach No. 1 in the state for total sales volume
Already one of the largest Buick GMC dealers in Texas, this dealership had the operational foundation to be the best in the state. What they needed was a smarter way to reach the right buyers in the hyper-competitive Dallas truck market, where dozens of GM dealerships compete for the same audience. General awareness tactics were not going to be enough. They needed precision.
C-4 Analytics built a strategy around where their buyers were already spending their attention.
The Challenge
The Dallas market is one of the most competitive automotive markets in the country, with a high concentration of GM dealerships all competing for truck buyers. The dealership needed to grow new car sales and deepen their penetration of the Dallas market specifically, but doing so required reaching the right demographic efficiently rather than simply outspending competitors. The challenge was finding a channel that could deliver high-quality, low-funnel impressions to in-market truck buyers at scale.
The Strategy
C-4 Analytics leveraged a unique Sports Package available through our partnership with Google and YouTube TV. The strategy centered on placing video ads alongside premium live sports streaming on YouTube TV, targeting Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and college sports games. This gave the dealership direct access to a key truck-buying demographic: low-funnel, in-market buyers who are actively streaming live sports in the Dallas area.
The dealer utilized available iMR funds and added net new budget specifically allocated to this YouTube TV strategy, keeping it fully incremental to their existing media mix. C-4 Analytics worked with the dealership to develop custom video creative built around truck inventory and current offers, ensuring the ads were relevant and conversion-focused rather than purely brand-driven.
The campaign targeted the Dallas market with precision, building sustained brand awareness and low-funnel engagement among the exact audience most likely to be in the market for a new Buick or GMC vehicle.
The Results
The strategy delivered market-leading results across every tracked dimension.
The dealership became the No. 1 Buick GMC dealer in Texas for total sales volume, cementing a position that the YouTube TV campaign played a significant role in achieving. Buick sales grew 49% year over year, climbing from 333 units to 496. GMC sales grew 79% year over year, rising from 1,115 units to 1,991. The dealer ranked No. 1 in their District for both Buick and GMC sales, improving from No. 5 in the prior year for GMC. Over 300,000 low-funnel video impressions were generated in the Dallas market, directly contributing to the strong sales volume growth from downtown Dallas.
The targeted Sports Package offered this dealer the ability to place video ads alongside premium live sports streaming, efficiently reaching low-funnel, in-market buyers where they were already engaged.
What This Means for Auto Dealers
Most dealerships running video advertising are focused on broad reach and brand awareness without a clear path to connecting those impressions with in-market buyers. YouTube TV's Sports Package changes that equation by placing your ads inside content that your exact target demographic is actively watching, at a moment when they are engaged and receptive.
For Buick GMC dealers and any high-volume franchise dealer looking to grow market share in a competitive region, this case demonstrates what is possible when an auto agency matches the right channel to the right audience with the right creative. The results were not just incremental. They were market-defining.
About C-4 Analytics
C-4 Analytics is a full-service automotive digital marketing agency helping dealerships and dealer groups grow through data-driven SEO, paid search, social advertising, and content strategy. With offices in Boston, Ann Arbor, and Chicago, C-4 works with dealerships across the country to turn digital presence into measurable business results.