TrueCar, the online car-buying service that has struggled to find its marketing voice, is pitching the joy of vehicle ownership rather than price in a new campaign, the company said.
The campaign has a new pitchman, too: actor Owen Wilson, the voice of race car Lightning McQueen in the animated Cars franchise. He is familiar to TrueCar's target audience: millennial parents who are moving up in their careers and starting families, said Lucas Donat, TrueCar chief marketing officer.
"They're coming to their earning years and having more children, which is a trigger for car purchases," Donat said.
Donat also is CEO of TrueCar's ad agency of record, Tiny Rebellion of Santa Monica, Calif., which produced the spots.
TrueCar provides car shoppers with guaranteed prices on vehicles from the nearly 10,000 franchises that compete for the business. The dealer who gets the sale pays TrueCar $299 for every new vehicle sold from a TrueCar lead and $399 for used vehicles.