by Terry MacCauley - Posted 1 day ago
Right now, AI is everywhere. You hear about it on the news, in marketing pitches, and especially in our automotive industry. Some vendors promote their services by saying things like “AI will get you more leads,” or “AI will do your marketing for you.” They make it sound like you just flip a switch and the sales pour in.
Here’s the truth: AI is a helpful tool, not a magic button. It can speed up parts of your marketing, save time, and reduce some of the guesswork. But it cannot think for you, build relationships, know your market, or read the room like a great manager on a Saturday morning.
AI in advertising is like an assistant that’s good with data. It can analyze how people behave online, help decide when and where to show your ads, and even suggest better ways to spend your ad budget. Tools like Google Ads use AI in their Smart Bidding systems. Facebook (Meta) uses AI to choose who sees your ads and when.
If you are running Google Performance Max or Facebook Advantage+ campaigns, you already use AI, even if you did not know it.
Here are a few things AI does well:
Bidding: AI adjusts bids up or down depending on how likely someone is to convert.
Targeting: It watches behavior online and finds the people most likely to click or buy.
Creative: Some AI tools can create different versions of your ad copy or imagery for testing.
Reporting: It can spot trends faster than a human and suggest changes based on the data.
Sounds great, right? It is, but only if we understand what is really going on behind the curtain.
Many CRM platforms, website providers, and digital vendors are now marketing their services by slapping the words “AI-powered” on everything. That alone does not make it smart or effective.
Here is what we are seeing far too often:
Dealers told that “AI will do all the work,” and they can walk away.
Vendors claim they have “exclusive AI access” or “proprietary technology” when using the same Google or Meta tools everyone else does.
Companies pitch fully automated campaigns but offer no transparency into where the budget is going or what is really performing.
This is fool’s gold. It looks shiny and sounds smart, but when it does not deliver, a dealer will be left holding the bag.
Think of AI like a power drill. In the right hands, it builds something amazing. In the wrong hands, it creates a mess. The same goes for AI in advertising. If the people behind your campaigns do not understand automotive or, more importantly, fundamental advertising, do not pay attention to trends in your market, or do not update your creative regularly and effectively, AI will not "save" you.
AI can not:
Understand that your store just got a truckload of inventory, and you need to move now.
Adjust messaging based on a local sports win, bad weather, or a dealership sale.
Coach your BDC to respond quicker when leads slow down.
Use empathy to address a shopper's hesitation during back-to-school season or election months.
Those decisions come from people. AI is best used when it helps your team, not when it replaces them.
Let’s dig into some real-world situations where AI has dropped the ball:
Example 1: The Overspend Spiral
A dealership set a monthly ad budget of $5,000. The AI-driven ad platform they were using noticed higher search traffic one week and automatically increased bids to try to “capture demand.” Sounds smart, right? Except the campaign blew through the entire monthly budget in 11 days, leaving the dealership with no ads running for the rest of the month. The AI chased clicks without any regard for pacing.
Example 2: The Wrong Message
An independent dealer near a military base had built a strong local brand around supporting veterans. But when they switched to a platform using AI-generated ad copy, all their messaging suddenly sounded like it came from a national chain with a completely generic and tone-deaf approach to their community. Customers noticed. Engagement dropped. The AI didn’t understand the dealership’s identity.
Example 3: Ignoring the Inventory
A dealership had an overstock of 4WD trucks after a mild winter. They needed to move them, fast. But the AI campaign kept pushing fuel-efficient sedans because those had previously performed better. The algorithm didn’t recognize the urgency of the new inventory or the dealership's shifting priority. It kept optimizing for yesterday’s strategy instead of today’s goals.
Example 4: Following Trends Too Late
AI often reacts to data, not real-time events. A local dealership ran a Facebook campaign that started performing well. The AI increased spend… five days after the promotion had ended. By the time the algorithm “learned” the trend was over, it had already wasted budget on expired offers.
These are not rare or one-off occurrences. They happen more often than one would think, especially when dealers are not in the loop or vendors do not review performance manually.
Before you sign on for any "AI-powered" platform, ask these questions:
What exact AI tools are you using?
Are they proprietary or just Google and Meta's built-in features?
Who is monitoring and adjusting campaigns?
Is a real person reviewing results every week?
Do I get real, readable reports?
Or just charts and dashboards with no explanation?
Can you customize creative for my market and goals?
Or is it the same message every other dealer is running?
How do you make decisions differently from the AI?
This shows whether they’re guiding strategy or letting the machine run wild.
If a vendor can not answer clearly, or dodges the question by shifting focus, you should walk away.
At Big Time Advertising, we are not anti-AI, we are just anti-BS. We use AI every day to:
Speed up ad optimizations.
Test creative variations faster.
Watch performance across Google, Facebook, YouTube, and more.
Identify which audiences are responding and which need reworked messaging.
But we do not stop there. We have a human on every account who knows our industry, your store, your market, your sales rhythm, and your voice. We make real decisions based on what your people are experiencing.
We update ads, customize messaging, and adjust budgets based on what is moving. We bring context that the algorithm will never understand. We also help you interpret what the data is saying and what to do about it.
AI is not going away. In fact, it is only getting more advanced. But that does not mean you should hand over the keys to your entire advertising strategy.
Use AI to your advantage, not as a crutch.
Ask questions about what tools vendors are using and how they work.
Don’t fall for buzzwords. Look for proof.
Stay involved. Review reports. Ask for clarity. Expect strategy.
Because, at the end of the day, this is your money and your brand. AI can help, but only when real people lead the way.
Dealers do not need more hype; they need results. The future of advertising will absolutely include AI, but success will not come from the tools alone. It will come from smart people using those tools well.
Big Time Advertising is committed to using cutting-edge AI tools and bringing real strategy, creative thinking, and market understanding to every campaign we touch.
We will never promise magic. This dealership business is and always has been for grinders who never have all the answers, just the work ethic and will to succeed.We deliver performance. If you are ready to market smarter with AI that actually works because it's backed by real people, let’s talk.
No fluff. Just facts. Let’s get to work.
BIG TIME DISCLAIMER: We are not saying in any way, shape, or form that AI is not real or will change many things about all industries. It has changed our agency in many ways within the past year. We are saying that the tech is still in its infancy and that it is the new, shiny penny that will bring out the charlatans in mass, so buyers should always be wary.
-by Terry MacCauley, Founder & CEO
