Drive.com.au
My collaboration with Drive has introduced digital assets that boosted audience engagement, expanded inventory and transformed Drive’s advertising strategy.
Owned by Nine Entertainment group, Drive.com.au has been the #2 automotive website for prospective car buyers for some time with over 3 million Australians visiting the Drive network each month.
Since 1996, Drive has showcased the best of all things automotive, covering all areas of the motoring industry providing engaging and entertaining content which is published and amplified across Australia’s largest media network – Nine, spanning broadcast, digital, social, print and audio.
In 2022, Drive launched Drive Brand Studios, where together with Tim Flattery (Creative Director, Drive Brand Studios) and Deanne Dwight (Producer, Drive Brand Studios), I have led the project team that have revolutionised their suite of digital advertising inventory via constant innovation.
Client
Agency
Creative Direction
Nick Lauria
Tim Flattery
Producer
Deanne Dwight
Digital Production
Nick Lauria
Nikolas Leuthold
Website Development
Tristan Kennedy
The first product release for Drive Brand Studios was the StoryPod: a high impact, rich media interstitial advertising unit.
Utilising Bonzai ScrollX technology, coupled with creative development by the team at The Refinery, StoryPods are perfect for large format storytelling, delivering auto-focussed content for OEMs suitable for all key phases – launch, retail and always on.
The mobile-led amplification units feature bite-sized videos, mini reviews, virtual test drives, and even gamified car configurators, producing high performing creatives and changing digital display across the Drive network.
In 2024, StoryPods on the Drive and Nine networks boasted an interaction rate of almost double (91%) compared to the baseline ScrollX interstitial ad unit, with a 56% increase in average time on unit.
Another milestone in Drive’s digital product evolution was the development of the native branded content webpage – the Brand Immersive.
This versatile content platform hosted on the Drive website is designed and developed by The Refinery with written articles and photography from Digital Fuel Productions, resulting in a highly visual, bespoke content piece produced solely by Drive Brand Studios partnerships.
Brand Immersives are custom built for each client, with content crafted around a unique story, where I led the team from concept conception and art direction through to digital development and deployment, which included a realtime reporting dashboard customised for each webpage.
These stunning native showcases have averaged over 70% interaction rate and an 8% Click Through Rate, with users spending an average of 11 minutes reading, watching and interacting with the digital platform.
Brand Immersives have also delivered a 65% increase in branded digital content revenue for Drive.
In 2024, The Refinery launched Discover360: an immersive car viewing platform designed to give users an intimate look at the vehicle they are considering.
The interactive 360 degree rotating unit, developed by Jason Jones (Director, The Refinery), not only features clickable hotspots and embedded video, but is also shot in high resolution with editable photography, pushing the boundaries of the existing technology.
I worked with Jason and the team at Drive Brand Studios to coordinate and curate the shoots, producing highly interactive experiences, presented by Drive talent in some iconic locations.
These immersive digital discovery units are embedded within the Brand Immersive webpages as well as across the Drive website as high end, native content pieces which have an average interaction rate of 88%.