National car-shopping resource Edmunds wants car shoppers to make the right call – literally – in “The Challenge,” an LA-first social ad campaign featuring Los Angeles Dodgers’ utility player Tommy Edman. Directed and produced entirely in-house, the ad series targets a deliberately narrow audience and runs in Los Angeles and select markets nationwide across Meta platforms today through mid-September.
The ad spot is the latest element of Edmunds’ “Back to Back” brand campaign, an extended partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Edman for the 2026 season. Through the campaign, fans will discover how they can use Edmunds to browse millions of new and used vehicle listings and get a free appraisal with up to three offers on their current car.
In the ad, Edman calls out the biggest pain points of driving in Los Angeles, from heavy traffic to high gas prices and today’s challenging affordability conditions. Developed for sports fans, the social-native commercial plays on the familiar concept of challenging a close call. Edmunds uses the concept as an extended metaphor, showing shoppers how its digital tools help them to make a more informed, confident call on their next vehicle purchase.
“Much like baseball, car buying is a tough game even under the most ideal conditions. Edmunds is reminding shoppers that even in a challenging market, there’s always an opportunity to make a better call,” said Alison Steinlauf Anziska, Edmunds’ senior vice president of marketing. “We’re proud to continue our work with Tommy Edman, an athlete who always makes the right calls on the field.”
Creative Strategy: Reaching Real Fans by Leaning Into the Baseball Zeitgeist
“In marketing, the ultimate trap is trying to please everyone and ending up delivering less value to the consumers you’re actually trying to reach,” said Benny Gee, creative director at Edmunds. “With this campaign, we picked a specific audience and built a concept crafted entirely for them: the sports fan. By leaning into this niche world, we created something that speaks directly to them while positioning Edmunds as the ultimate consumer advocate that gives shoppers absolute confidence in the deal they’re getting.”
Delivered in a question-and-answer format, the creative is built for short-form social video and runs across Meta platforms in punchy 30-, 15- and 6-second cuts, with high-energy, quick-cut editing to keep audiences engaged.
“There’s an old industry belief: If the work really matters, you have to use an agency for it. For almost a decade, that’s what we did too,” said Gee. “This time, we built it ourselves — start to finish. We know our brand better than anyone we could hire. That’s why the idea survives the way it was pitched — because it’s actually ours.”
Edmunds Goes Back-to-Back with Tommy Edman in Latest Ad
Tommy Edman is the face of Edmunds’ hero ad campaign for a second consecutive season. The partnership coincides with the versatile switch-hitter’s second full season as a Dodger (third overall) and back-to-back championships with the Boys in Blue.
“Baseball fans know the importance of making the right call, and bringing that idea into the ad with Edmunds was a fun way to speak directly to them,” said Edman. “This campaign is all about showing people that Edmunds can help them make the right calls when it’s time to shop for a car, whether they need an unbiased vehicle review, a quick gut check on a price, or a clear look at what their current car is actually worth.”
“Where’s the Love for LA Drivers?”
“The Challenge” launches at a critical moment as car shoppers face significant affordability headwinds. New-car prices have climbed nearly 30% since 2019, and rising interest rates, insurance, repair costs and gas prices have pushed average monthly payments to a historic high of $777, with buyers, at record levels, stretching loan terms out to seven years or longer.
“This campaign is our effort to connect more consumers with Edmunds’ research and budgeting tools so they can navigate today’s market conditions with confidence,” said Anziska.
Building on Momentum: Deepening Ties with Sports Fans
“Back to Back” is the latest in a series of Edmunds campaigns built for sports fans. From “Name of the Game” in 2024 to 2025’s “Edman on the Street,” Edmunds has built a roster of professional athletes with names that sound like Edmunds, positioning the brand as the resource shoppers turn to when beginning a journey to buy or sell a car. “Edman on the Street” earned Gold recognition in the Association of National Advertisers’ In-House Excellence Awards earlier this year. The sports focus is grounded in third-party data showing strong overlap between car shoppers and sports fans.
Last year’s campaign, which also included an Original Tommy’s cheeseburger combo giveaway on National Cheeseburger Day, drove a 111% increase in Google searches for “Edmunds” and a 22-point lift in ad recall in Los Angeles, more than double benchmark levels, along with gains in engagement and appraisal activity.
Driving in More Runs This Season
Dodgers fans will engage with Edmunds across multiple platforms and fan experiences through the rest of the 2026 season. In August, Edmunds will launch a sweepstakes featuring VIP Dodgers gameday experiences, including an on-field batting practice viewing, a private stadium tour, premium seats, and transportation to and from the game.
Edmunds will also have an in-stadium presence at select Dodgers home games in August, featuring its car-shopping experts and fun giveaways. Toward the end of the season, Edmunds will reveal the results of a Dodgers fan survey on car ownership and shopping habits, along with a video featuring Tommy Edman’s reaction to the results.
About Edmunds
Edmunds guides car shoppers online from research to purchase. With in-depth reviews of every new vehicle, shopping tips from an in-house team of experts, plus a wealth of consumer and automotive market insights, Edmunds helps millions of shoppers each month select, price and buy a car with confidence. Regarded as one of America’s best workplaces by Newsweek, Fortune, Great Place to Work and Built In, Edmunds is based in Santa Monica, California. Follow us on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
