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How carsales mediahouse is uniting scale, trust and AI for advertisers
September 16, 2025
Explore the key announcements and highlights from carsales Open House for brands, marketers and advertisers
Against the backdrops of Sydney Harbour and Melbourne’s Albert Park, carsales mediahouse welcomed advertisers to Open House ’26. An event to showcase how carsales is shaping the way brands connect with buyers.
With attention harder to earn and effectiveness under greater scrutiny, Open House gave marketers a clear view of how carsales mediahouse is simplifying complexity, connecting brands with real buyers and proving performance with confidence.
Clarity in a crowded market
The event was hosted by Commercial Director, Nicholas Bailly and carried a central promise throughout: no trade-offs.
“One Platform, Every Advantage means the scale of a marketplace, the trust of a publisher, the performance of a walled garden and the openness of the web. All in one place,” Bailly told the audience.
It was a message that resonated with advertisers facing rising market fragmentation and attention flatlining. Relevance, not reach, has become the real challenge. Open House showed how carsales mediahouse is built to solve for it. By combining scale with premium content, trust with transparency, and AI with measurable performance, the platform provides a balance advertisers rarely find in a single partner.
Innovation built for outcomes
Advertisers and marketers were introduced to new ways of reaching buyers at critical points in their journey with several key announcements.
Ignition is set to evolve into a predictive powerhouse with new AI integrations, including generative search, execution intelligence and strategic advisory to help campaigns move faster and smarter. Alongside this, new immersive formats such as Virtual Test Drive and Interactive Brochure will give brands richer ways to showcase their products. Expanded native and in-feed video formats are also set to be introduced, designed for today’s scrollable environments.
Together, these innovations extend the impact of carsales’ platform, helping advertisers move buyers from discovery through to decision with less friction and more certainty.
Reshaping content
Open House also unveiled a refreshed approach to content, designed to meet buyers where they are and create stronger touchpoints for advertisers.
The hero announcement is an all-new take on the “car of the year” format with the New Car Buyer’s Guide. This new approach simplifies decision-making with practical picks based on how people actually research cars, while giving brands visibility at critical points of choice.
In addition, a new series of premium long-form content will deliver always-on stories that inform, entertain and build trust across the platforms audiences use every day. It’s content built to perform — useful for buyers and impactful for brands.
Proof and transparency
Open House underscored the importance of evidence in a market where effectiveness is under more scrutiny than ever.
Independent analysis from Civic Data showed how traditional attribution models undervalue the role of publishers, particularly in the context of mobile web and app-centric publishers. When measured correctly, carsales’ campaigns were found to be 95 per cent more cost-effective, giving marketers confidence that their investment is delivering real outcomes.
That proof was reinforced with case studies shared on stage. New entrants are building scale and credibility fast in one of the world’s most competitive auto markets, while established leaders are reigniting momentum and turning attention into action.
Looking ahead
carsales will continue investing in deeper AI capabilities, creative formats that cut through, and new research into the evolving auto buyer journey.
“This is just the start of our 2026 journey,” said Davor Vilusic, Executive General Manager of Media. “As automotive choice grows more complex, carsales is committed to giving brands the tools to build attention, trust and conversion. All on one platform.”
Keen to explore the announcements, insights and innovations in detail? Talk to the carsales mediahouse team today.
Reshaping content
Open House also unveiled a refreshed approach to content, designed to meet buyers where they are and create stronger touchpoints for advertisers.
The hero announcement is an all-new take on the “car of the year” format with the New Car Buyer’s Guide. This new approach simplifies decision-making with practical picks based on how people actually research cars, while giving brands visibility at critical points of choice.
In addition, a new series of premium long-form content will deliver always-on stories that inform, entertain and build trust across the platforms audiences use every day. It’s content built to perform — useful for buyers and impactful for brands.
Proof and transparency
Open House underscored the importance of evidence in a market where effectiveness is under more scrutiny than ever.
Independent analysis from Civic Data showed how traditional attribution models undervalue the role of publishers, particularly in the context of mobile web and app-centric publishers. When measured correctly, carsales’ campaigns were found to be 95 per cent more cost-effective, giving marketers confidence that their investment is delivering real outcomes.
That proof was reinforced with case studies shared on stage. New entrants are building scale and credibility fast in one of the world’s most competitive auto markets, while established leaders are reigniting momentum and turning attention into action.
Looking ahead
carsales will continue investing in deeper AI capabilities, creative formats that cut through, and new research into the evolving auto buyer journey.
“This is just the start of our 2026 journey,” said Davor Vilusic, Executive General Manager of Media. “As automotive choice grows more complex, carsales is committed to giving brands the tools to build attention, trust and conversion. All on one platform.”
Keen to explore the announcements, insights and innovations in detail? Talk to the carsales mediahouse team today.
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