Audi achieves 34x growth in first-party data, powering a major EV launch

BUSINESS OBJECTIVE 

Turning a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model into a data advantage

Audi Singapore introduced a DTC sales model, allowing customers in the country to purchase cars through a new corporate showroom and dedicated website. While this shift represented a major transformation for the brand, it also introduced a major opportunity: access to more customer data. 

The move to a DTC model meant that, for the first time, the brand could own the customer relationship end-to-end, capture first-party data directly, and start building a scalable data foundation. Previously, most customer data sat with authorised dealers, leaving Audi with fragmented visibility into buyer behaviour across key areas of the purchase journey. This became especially important as the brand geared up to launch the Audi Q6 e‑tron in Singapore’s highly competitive electric vehicle (EV) market, where buyers typically spend weeks researching across channels before making purchase decisions.

SOLUTION 

Activating first-party data through identity-based strategies and AI tools

To capitalise on its new DTC model, Audi worked with its media agency, PHD, to design a campaign that put first-party data at the centre of its strategy. Using The Trade Desk’s Kokai platform, the team activated newly collected CRM and website data in a privacy-conscious way through our Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) solution and created a campaign seed. By using AI-powered modelling within the platform, Audi was able to create a high-quality lookalike audience based on its growing first-party dataset, expanding its addressable audience while maintaining relevance. 

The campaign ran programmatically across display, video, connected TV (CTV), and digital out-of-home (DOOH) channels. Predictive clearing optimised bids to secure premium inventory efficiently, and cross-device frequency controls helped prevent wasted impressions while increasing incremental reach.

To further enhance the omnichannel campaign’s performance mid-flight, Audi tapped into Nova — an AI-powered creative solution — to repurpose existing social assets into high-impact formats tailored to different audiences. This allowed the team to maintain brand consistency while improving creative relevance at scale.

RESULTS

Driving engagement, efficiency, and scalable audience growth

The campaign’s results showed how effective an omnichannel strategy can be when driven by first-party data. It consistently delivered greater reach, engagement, efficiency, and business impact, including:

• 34x increase in first-party data in just six weeks
• 1.7 million additional people reached through cross-device frequency controls and optimisation
• 3x more qualified website visitors compared to the previous Q4 e‑tron model launch
• 9% higher CTR for display using first-party data, compared to second- and third-party data
• 16% lower cost per view for OTT

Beyond immediate performance, the campaign fundamentally reshaped Audi Singapore’s marketing approach. The brand now has a scalable pool of first-party data that can be continuously activated on our platform to deepen audience insights and optimise targeting for future vehicle launches.

Most importantly, the strategy advanced Audi Singapore’s broader transformation toward its new sales model — strengthening direct customer connections, improving measurement across channels, and setting a new benchmark for targeted, data-driven marketing within the global Audi organisation.

Discover how your brand’s first-party data can help you reach the right customers at the right moment. Contact us or speak with your account manager at The Trade Desk today.