Beyond the rental counter: How Turo used DOOH to outmaneuver traditional car rental

Taking a different route

For decades, getting behind the wheel of a rental car has followed a familiar route. Head to the rental counter, pick from the fleet and hit the road. Turo, a peer-to-peer car sharing platform, wanted consumers to see another way forward.

At the heart of the campaign was a simple challenge to the category: “Rent a car, not a rental car.” That message made Turo's difference clear, but challenging a familiar habit required more than a memorable line. Turo needed to make its alternative feel visible, relevant and easy to consider.

Working with Vistar Media and Media Experts, Turo launched a programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign across Toronto and Montreal, bringing their message into the places and moments where travel and transportation decisions were still taking shape.

Meeting renters along the way

Turo’s campaign appeared across a diverse mix of digital out-of-home environments, giving the brand visibility across different moments of movement. The mix allowed Turo to reach consumers as they arrived in market, commuted through the city, spent time in their neighborhoods and considered how they would get to their next destination.

Transit | Billboards | Residential | Casual dining | Airports 

Putting another option on the map

Traditional rental locations offered another opportunity to make Turo’s message matter. Using point-of-interest (POI) targeting, the campaign reached consumers within one to five kilometres of competitor locations, putting Turo into the conversation when conventional rental options were close at hand.

In those moments, “Rent a car, not a rental car” became a timely reminder that there was another way to get on the road.

Steering towards renters

Turo also layered in Datonics audience targeting to reach consumers already showing signals of rental intent. That put the brand in front of potential renters as they began weighing their options, giving Turo an opportunity to challenge the familiar choice before a decision was made.

Shifting consideration into gear

Getting noticed was one milestone. Whether consumers would consider taking a different route was the bigger test.

A brand lift study showed Turo was gaining traction across both markets:

• Ontario
  • +36% lift in brand awareness
  • +45% lift in consideration
  • +70% lift in purchase intent

• Montreal
  • +36% lift in brand awareness
  • +21% lift in consideration
  • +17% lift in purchase intent

In a category built around familiar names and default choices, DOOH put Turo on the map as a credible alternative. By showing up near the moments and places where rental decisions were already taking shape, Turo gave consumers another route to consider for their next trip.