Balancing art and science: Turo's approach to creative testing

Turo transformed their below-average Philadelphia market into their fastest-growing US market with >50% YOY growth. How did they do it? By using consumer insights to validate creative instinct and choose the winning concept over team preferences.

Key results

  • 50% YoY growth in Philadelphia market

    The "Skip the Rental Counter" campaign delivered significant lifts in awareness, consideration, and booking intent that translated directly into business results.

  • Transformed creative decision-making from subjective to data-driven

    Turo shifted from research-informed intuition to rigorous consumer testing with Zappi's advertising solutions.

  • Successfully expanded from single-market test to national campaign

    By validating creative effectiveness in Philadelphia, Turo built a playbook for national expansion.

Philly ended up becoming the fastest-growing US market for us a few months after our campaign launch. Zappi gave us the confidence that our OOH and TV creative would work, and it pulled through.
Matt KerbelHead of Global Brand Strategy at Turo

Opportunity

Balancing creative instinct with research

When Matt Kerbel joined Turo as Head of Global Brand Strategy, the team was making creative decisions based more on intuition than research. With new expansion efforts on the horizon, Matt wanted to shift toward a more research-driven approach while preserving Turo's creative integrity.

This shift became even more critical when Turo decided to invest significant media dollars in Philadelphia as an emerging market opportunity โ€“ particularly since 6 out of 10 people had never heard of the Turo brand. To validate their media investment, Turo needed consumers to be central to their creative development process, without losing the "creative bravery" that makes campaigns memorable. Having been a Zappi customer for several years, the platform was their immediate choice for bringing rigorous consumer testing into their creative validation process.

Approach

Testing with Zappi Advertising Solutions

For their Philadelphia campaign, Zappi testing was integral at every stage of development for the TV spot, from initial concept testing to storyboard validation. While the creative team initially favored other concepts, the data revealed a clear winner โ€“ 'Skip the Rental Counter.โ€ This concept excelled in brand consideration scores, indicating strong potential for driving consumer action.ย 

When testing TV storyboards, Matt noted that the Zappi platform provided strategic insights into key details in the creative, including what type of vehicle they should feature. A yellow, outdoorsy Bronco-style SUV tested better than sleeker alternatives, reinforcing Turo's culture-forward brand positioning.These granular insights gave Turo confidence that every campaign element would resonate with their target audience.

Results

Philadelphia market transformation: From underperforming to outperforming

The campaign results far exceeded expectations. Philadelphia went from a below average market to Turo's fastest-growing US market by 50% year-over-year within 6 months of the campaign.ย 

The success went beyond business metrics โ€“ it proved that consumer-validated creative drives sustainable growth in new markets.

Impact

Leadership confidence and strategic investment

The data-driven approach has transformed how Turo approaches creative decisions with leadership. "Anything that is measurable begets confidence," Matt explains. "It has absolutely led to the C-suite having more confidence and trust that we are investing in the right things."ย 

By validating the concept through research and proving that it works, Matt was able to take the Philadelphia playbook and invest in a national campaign for next year. Beyond the immediate expansion, the success of brand marketing in Philly has provided Turo leadership with the conviction to meaningfully scale investment in brand marketing moving forward.

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