Auto brands favour CTV and remote-enabled ads for real engagement: Report

India’s automotive sector recorded a landmark festive season, with 52.3 lakh vehicles sold, including a 23% rise in passenger vehicles and a 57.5% surge in EVs. Against this backdrop, digital advertising for automotive brands also saw a significant upswing, according to the latest ‘Automotive Ad Engagement Benchmark Study’ by VDO.AI.

The VDO.AI study, which analysed more than 200 automotive campaigns across CTV and Display, found that CTV continues to dominate as the medium of choice for high-intent automotive buyers, delivering a Video Completion Rate (VCR) of 93%, well above the industry benchmark of 85%. VDO.AI’s analysis also reveals that automotive campaigns on Display achieved a 0.75% Click-Through Rate, nearly double the industry benchmark, highlighting Display’s crucial role in driving high-frequency engagement and brand recall during India’s peak festive auto season.

The VDO.AI’s report highlights a clear trend in automotive advertising: Remote-enabled CTV and In-Scroll Display dominated festive-season campaigns in 2025. Remote-enabled CTV emerged as the format of choice, with 60% of brands using it to deliver immersive, full-screen stories that actively engaged viewers. Meanwhile, In-Scroll Display accounted for 40% of adoption, driving discovery and recall through dynamic, contextually triggered creatives across comparison and news platforms.

Regional insights revealed distinct engagement patterns. Northern markets, including Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, and Chandigarh, recorded 78% higher ad engagement than Southern and Western cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, and Pune. While the North responded strongly to CTV-led brand storytelling, the South and West saw sharper CTR spikes during festive offer peaks, highlighting the value of region-specific creative strategies for automotive advertisers.

Arjit Sachdeva, Co-founder of VDO.AI, said, “Today’s car buyers are less influenced by flash; they seek information, trust, and relevance. Our study shows that immersive Remote-enabled CTV and Interactive In-Scroll Display formats deliver the highest engagement and video completion rates during the festive season. Auto brands need ad formats that align with these buyer expectations, and at VDO.AI, we help them do just that, blending storytelling with interactivity so campaigns not only capture attention but also inform, influence, and convert.”

As the automotive market grows increasingly digital, campaigns that blend storytelling, interactivity, and contextual relevance will define the next wave of high-performing advertising.