NEW YORK: Mobile phone ads can drive car sales far more effectively than other forms of advertisements, a study commissioned by Facebook says.

Most digital automotive ads are delivered too late in the consumer purchase decision cycle, while mobile ads reach consumers earlier - before they have already made up their minds, mediapost.com reported.

The research, conducted by Ipsos MediaCT, surveyed 1,501 adults ages 18-64 who are in the market for a new car about their automotive research and purchase habits, and revealed a large and increasing role for mobile at almost every stage of the process.

The majority of digital car ads are delivered in the final month before consumers make the big buy, doubtless as a result of behavioural targeting.

However most consumers (59 percent) have actually settled on one or two models by that time, so the ads are either redundant or irrelevant.

Auto brands and dealers who want to increase consideration for their offerings should boost their mobile ad efforts, as more consumers are turning to mobile for car research, especially the Millennials.

Overall 60 percent of respondents said they begin their research process at least six months before they make a purchase, and 27 percent said they did most of their car research on mobile.

Among respondents who did their research on mobile, 70 percent said they felt overwhelmed by the amount of data available.

Facebook said car brands and dealers could accompany branding and local campaigns with mobile components, including videos.

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