Case Study: Large Automotive Company achieves 20%+ full-funnel lift and reaches Gen Z & Millennial buyers with Rakuten Marketing

Reaching Gen Z and Millennials in the Automotive Industry

Rakuten Advertising, through its streaming platform Rakuten Viki, helped automotive brands tackle the challenge of reaching Gen Z and Millennial buyers who are cutting the cord and demanding more personalized, relevant communications. With Millennials projected to become a dominant vehicle-buying cohort, marketers needed new channels to drive awareness and sales among younger, mobile-first and predominantly female audiences.

Rakuten deployed an AVOD strategy on Viki using a multi-screen mix (CTV to in-app mobile), creative A/B testing, combined video and display sponsorships, and contextual targeting tied to entertainment and music. The campaign delivered strong outcomes: a 20%+ full-funnel lift in consideration and purchase intent, a 75.5% video completion rate, 95.5% viewability, and an audience that is 75% Millennials (two-thirds women).