March 07, 2026
How an Auto Dealership Drove 34% More Showroom Visits with Streaming TV Ads
Table of Contents
When Patriot Auto Group added streaming TV to their advertising mix, they weren't expecting it to become their most efficient lead channel within four months. But that's exactly what happened. Here's how a mid-size dealership turned CTV into a showroom traffic machine.
The company
Patriot Auto Group is a family-owned dealership group in Tampa, Florida, with two locations selling new and pre-owned vehicles. Founded in 2009 by Rick and Maria Delgado, the business employs 45 people across sales, service, and parts departments. They carry a mix of domestic and import brands, with average monthly sales of about 120 vehicles across both lots.
Before trying CTV advertising, Patriot had relied heavily on a combination of Google Ads, third-party lead providers like AutoTrader and Cars.com, and occasional radio spots. They had a solid reputation in the Tampa Bay area, but market share had stalled as competition from larger dealer groups intensified.
The challenge
By late 2025, Patriot Auto Group was facing three problems that their existing marketing mix couldn't solve:
Third-party lead costs were climbing. The average cost per lead from platforms like AutoTrader had risen to $45, up from $32 the previous year. Worse, lead quality was declining because buyers were submitting forms to multiple dealerships simultaneously, turning every inquiry into a bidding war.
Brand recognition was weak outside their immediate neighborhood. Patriot had strong awareness within a 10-mile radius of each location, but virtually none in the broader Tampa Bay metro (population 3.2 million). They were invisible to buyers who lived 20 to 30 minutes away.
Digital ad fatigue. Click-through rates on their Google Display and Meta campaigns had been declining for three consecutive quarters. Shoppers were scrolling past the same banner ads and sponsored posts without engaging.
Rick Delgado summed it up: "We were spending $18,000 a month on marketing and fighting for the same pool of buyers as every other dealer in town. We needed a way to get our name in front of people who weren't actively shopping yet, so when they were ready, they'd think of us first."
The solution
A colleague at another dealership in Orlando mentioned seeing results from streaming TV advertising and recommended Patriot try it. After evaluating options, the team chose Adwave for three reasons:
Affordable testing. With campaigns starting at just $50, they could test the channel without board-level budget approval.
Fast creative production. Adwave generated a professional 30-second commercial from Patriot's website in under two minutes. No production crew, no studio rental, no three-week turnaround.
Precise geographic targeting. They could target the entire Tampa Bay metro while excluding areas outside their competitive range.
Maria was skeptical about AI-generated ads. "I thought it would look cheap," she admitted. "But when I saw the first commercial Adwave created, it featured our actual inventory and branding. It looked like something we'd pay a production company $5,000 to make."
The strategy
Patriot launched their first Adwave campaign in November 2025 with a measured approach:
Budget: $2,500 per month, about 14% of their total marketing spend. They didn't cut existing channels. CTV was treated as an additive awareness layer.
Targeting: Adults 25-64 within 30 miles of their two Tampa locations, with interest segments including auto enthusiasts, in-market auto shoppers, and recent movers.
Creative approach: They started with one general brand ad highlighting their "no-haggle pricing" promise. In month two, they added a year-end clearance event ad. By month three, they had three ads in rotation: the brand spot, a certified pre-owned focus, and a service department promotion.
Measurement setup: Patriot tracked results through multiple channels. They monitored campaign analytics through Adwave's dashboard, tracked branded search volume in Google Search Console, set up a unique landing page for TV traffic, and added "streaming TV" as a "how did you hear about us" option in their CRM.
The results
After four months (November 2025 through February 2026), the numbers exceeded expectations:
34% increase in showroom visits. Average monthly walk-in traffic rose from 410 to 549 visitors across both locations. The team attributed approximately 95 of those additional visits to CTV-driven awareness based on CRM attribution and branded search correlation.
28% lower cost per vehicle sold. Despite adding $2,500/month in CTV spend, Patriot's blended cost per sold unit dropped from $150 to $108. CTV's brand-building effect made their existing search and social campaigns more efficient. Buyers who had seen a Patriot ad on their TV were more likely to click a search ad and more likely to convert.
41% increase in branded searches. Google Search Console showed "Patriot Auto Group" and related branded queries jumped significantly, a strong signal that TV was driving top-of-mind awareness.
2.8x return on CTV ad spend. With an average front-end gross profit of $2,800 per vehicle and the incremental sales attributable to CTV, the math came out to roughly $2.80 in profit for every dollar spent on streaming TV ads.
Expanded market radius. Before CTV, about 85% of Patriot's customers came from within 15 miles. After four months, 32% of new customers were coming from 15 to 30 miles away, a segment that had been nearly zero.
"The biggest win wasn't any single metric," Rick said. "It was watching our other channels get better. Our Google Ads cost per lead dropped 18% during the same period because more people recognized our name and clicked through. CTV made everything else work harder."
Key takeaways
If you're running an auto dealership and considering CTV advertising, here's what Patriot's experience teaches us:
Use CTV to expand your reach radius. Dealerships naturally draw from a limited area. CTV lets you cost-effectively build awareness across your full competitive market without paying for broad broadcast waste.
Layer CTV on top of existing channels. Don't replace your search or third-party leads. Use CTV as the awareness layer that makes those bottom-funnel channels more efficient. Patriot saw their existing campaigns perform better once CTV was running.
Rotate creative regularly. Patriot refreshed their ad creative every 4 to 6 weeks, which kept their message fresh and let them promote different inventory and offers. Stale creative leads to diminishing returns.
Track the full funnel. Direct attribution for TV is always imperfect. Use a combination of branded search trends, CRM tracking, walk-in surveys, and your Adwave dashboard to build the complete picture.
Start during a high-traffic period. Patriot launched before year-end sales events, which gave CTV an immediate boost from seasonal demand. If you're testing for the first time, align your launch with a natural sales peak.
Bottom line: Patriot Auto Group proved that streaming TV advertising isn't just for the big dealer groups with six-figure ad budgets. With the right platform and smart targeting, a local dealership can build the kind of brand presence that keeps the showroom full.
Common questions answered
How much should a car dealership spend on CTV advertising? There's no fixed answer, but Patriot's experience suggests $1,500 to $3,000 per month is a solid starting point for a mid-size dealership. Adwave campaigns start at just $50, so you can run a small test before committing. The key is consistency over at least 90 days so the awareness effect has time to build and compound across your other marketing channels.
Do I need a production company to make a TV commercial for my dealership? No. Adwave generates broadcast-quality 30-second commercials from your dealership website in about two minutes. Patriot used Adwave's AI-generated ads for their entire campaign. The ads featured their actual inventory, branding, and value propositions without any outside production work.
Can I target specific ZIP codes or neighborhoods with CTV ads? Yes. One of CTV's biggest advantages over traditional TV is geographic precision. Patriot targeted a 30-mile radius around their two Tampa locations. You can target by ZIP code, city, DMA, or custom radius to match your dealership's competitive market area.
How long before I see results from streaming TV advertising? Early indicators like branded search increases and more website traffic typically appear within the first 30 days. Meaningful showroom traffic changes usually show up by month two or three. Patriot saw improvement every month, with their strongest performance in month four. Plan for a minimum 90-day commitment to give the channel a fair test.
Will CTV work for a single-location dealership? Absolutely. In fact, single-location dealerships may benefit even more because CTV lets you concentrate your entire budget on one geographic area. You don't need multiple locations or a large inventory to make streaming TV work. Even smaller independent lots can build meaningful local awareness with a modest monthly budget.