GasBuddy, a leading fuel savings platform, connects advertisers with drivers at a moment of genuine intent, checking prices, planning a fill-up, and mapping a route. As advertiser expectations grew beyond simple video views, GasBuddy set out to give its flagship ad placement a stronger creative experience, one that could translate directly into stronger performance. To do that, GasBuddy partnered with Celtra to rebuild the placement as Video Hero, a rich media creative combining an in-line video with a supporting banner.
Challenge: Driving stronger performance for its advertiser base
Advertiser expectations have shifted well beyond simple video views, with buyers increasingly looking for placements that offer more than a passive viewing experience. GasBuddy saw an opportunity to bring that same evolution to one of its own formats.
Its high-volume placement already reached drivers at a moment of genuine intent. GasBuddy’s goal was to raise the creative quality behind that placement, giving advertisers an execution that matched the quality of the moment GasBuddy was already delivering.
Solution: Raising creative execution with Video Hero
GasBuddy partnered with Celtra to build Video Hero, a rich media unit combining an in-line video with a supporting banner beneath it. Rather than a video running on its own, the banner works alongside it, extending the message, giving viewers an additional reason to click, and keeping the format in view for longer than the video alone would hold attention.
Celtra gave GasBuddy a level of creative flexibility and control that wasn’t possible before. The original format had less room to work with: banner responsiveness was limited, branding around the video frame was minimal, and the interaction area wasn’t driving the results GasBuddy wanted. With Celtra, GasBuddy could build the experience element by element, combining in-line video that fit the placement cleanly with a fully customizable banner, while also controlling exactly which parts of the unit were clickable. The result was a more flexible, tailored experience that performed well beyond the original format.
The result is a creative execution built to match the quality of the placement itself, giving advertisers more ways to earn a driver’s attention.
Results: Same placement, dramatically different results
The shift from Legacy Native Video to Celtra Video Hero delivered measurable results across the board.
Beyond engagement, the format has also shown early impact further down the funnel: a premium fuel brand advertiser running Video Hero saw 23% more incremental store visits compared to that campaign’s overall average.
These results show that a stronger creative execution doesn’t just hold attention on-screen, it can carry further down the funnel, showing up in real-world outcomes. Video Hero gives GasBuddy a placement it can offer with confidence to any advertiser looking for stronger performance.
Ready to turn passive video views into measurable real-world outcomes for your own app or brand? Book a demo with Celtra today to discover how our high-performing rich media formats can instantly elevate your ad revenue and driver-level engagement.
