What is a VIN video ad?

How is it different from a dealership brand video?

A brand video sells the store: the people, the service drive, the reasons to buy from you. It runs for months and never names a car. A VIN video ad sells one unit. A shopper sees the exact truck they were looking at, with its trim, miles, and price, and one tap takes them to that truck's VDP.

How is it different from a static inventory ad?

Many stores run inventory ads on Meta, often called Automotive Inventory Ads (AIA). Those pull from your inventory feed and usually show a photo or a carousel of photos. A VIN video ad runs off the same kind of feed, but each unit gets a short video instead of a still. On a phone, a vertical video looks like the Reels and Stories shoppers are already scrolling, so it reads less like a catalog listing.

What goes in one?

A good VIN video ad is short and specific. It shows the car, says what it is, and gives the shopper one next step.

• The unit's own photos
• Year, make, model, trim, and miles
• The price, updated when the price changes
• Your store's name and branding
• A link to that unit's VDP

Where does it run?

VIN video ads run as paid social, mostly on Facebook and Instagram, in Reels, Stories, and the feed. They target in-market shoppers within driving distance of your rooftop, so the views come from people who could actually show up.

Related

• Research: state-by-state dealer video audits
• Automotive Inventory Ads vs Vehicle Listing Ads
• Vertical video ad specs for car dealers
• Minnesota: what 302 franchised dealers actually run on Meta
• VinScroll vs Impel

Common questions

Does every car on the lot need its own video?

It depends on what you want the ads to do. Picking a few featured units keeps the work small, but shoppers looking at the rest of your stock see photos or nothing. With per-unit coverage, every car reaches in-market shoppers. New arrivals get an ad automatically, and sold units come down the same day.

Do VIN video ads use a voiceover?

Some vendors add a synthetic voiceover, and many dealers dislike how it sounds. VinScroll uses no synthetic voiceover. The ads rely on the car's own photos, clear on-screen text, and your branding, so each one reads like a listing from your store.

Is a VIN video ad the same as a video on the VDP?

No. A VDP video lives on your website and plays for shoppers who already found the car. A VIN video ad runs on social platforms, reaches in-market shoppers who have not found the car yet, and sends them to the VDP.