Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What’s working in mass-market automotive

Article • WARC Category Intelligence, September 2019

Global strategies, campaign updates and trends in the mass-market automotive category.

What’s working in luxury autos

Article • WARC Category Intelligence, April 2018

Global strategies, campaign updates and trends in the luxury auto category.

Nissan Patrol: Conquer Everywhere

Case Study • Garrett Olexiuk, Bhaskar Bateja, Remie Abdo, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2020

Car manufacturer Nissan Middle East used a multichannel, personalised data-driven strategy to relaunch its Patrol marque in the United Arab Emirates.

How Toyota identifies the most attractive multicultural opportunities and builds bespoke programs

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, WARC Exclusive, June 2020

Toyota, the automaker, is seeking to engage with multicultural audiences in relevant, authentic ways as it drives brand metrics and sales.

Audi South Africa: Customer Private Lounge

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, Africa, 2020

Audi, an automotive brand, created a virtual reality-enabled Customer Private Lounge to demonstrate its first class design and drive sales in Nigeria.

Gokada Nigeria: #Gokada2.0

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Diamond, Africa, 2020

Gokada, a motorbike hailing service, launched a media event that reversed negative brand perceptions by allowing the media to meet its newly-trained drivers and new bikes after a temporary closure due to bad service in Nigeria.

Audi South Africa: #LiveInTheNow

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, Africa, 2020

Audi, a car brand, increased car sales in South Africa by launching a video campaign that featured key influencers that aligned with the campaign tagline of living in the now.

Toyota Motor North America: Takata airbag recall in Puerto Rico

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold, North America, 2020

Toyota, an automotive brand, sponsored an educational event in Puerto Rico to increase awareness of faulty airbag inflators and encourage people to put their cars in for repair.

China’s auto market sees deals-driven sales boost, but long-term outlook remains grim

News • 27 May 2020

Auto sales in China grew 4.4% in April compared to the same month a year ago, to just over 2 million vehicles, for the first time in nearly two years.

Nissan relies on data to see it through the pandemic

News • 26 May 2020

Japanese automotive manufacturer Nissan has had to shift from its heavy reliance on brick-and-mortar to online thanks to COVID-19 lockdowns across many markets, but it expects the steps it is taking now will pay dividends offline post-pandemic.

Ditch the manifesto ad and take data seriously to steer through COVID-19

Article • Low Lai Chow, WARC COVID-19 Series, Business as (Un)Usual, May 2020

Nissan’s Angie Ahn and Better Trade Off’s Shannon Cullum share tips on how to navigate challenges posed by lockdown measures.

Luxury car brands in India go digital in bid to save sales

News • 04 May 2020

Car sales in India have collapsed with even Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest manufacturer, reporting that it did not sell a single unit in the domestic market in April, yet some luxury brands are finding innovative ways to fight back.

ŠKODA: Hesitation

Case Study • Pauline Dunas, WARC Awards, Bronze, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Automotive brand SKODA created a campaign tailored around the specific insights of the local market to challenge erroneous brand perceptions in France.

Castrol: Influence the Influencer

Case Study • Benjamin Condit, Chaojie Miao, Rocker Hu, Sienna Zhang, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Lubricant oil brand Castrol used WeChat to build a gamified educational campaign for mechanics to get them onside as influencers in China.

Bridgestone: Your Passion in Motion

Case Study • Ewa Schreiber, Martyna Lodzinska, Marcin Świejkowki, Rafał Broniarek, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

In Poland, tyre manufacturer Bridgestone launched a 10-month content strategy when a budget cut forced a rethink in how to defend its market share.

Ford Everest: Carpool Talk

Case Study • Hang Nguyen, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Car-manufacturer Ford used a disruptive content marketing campaign, amplified on social media, to change perceptions of its Everest SUV in Vietnam.

Audi: e-tron Has Landed

Case Study • Paloma Ho, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Innovation, 2020

Car maker Audi took a chance on augmented reality to increase its popularity and build awareness of its first purely electric car in Taiwan.

Shell Advance: Forever Outriders

Case Study • WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Oil brand Shell used the power of influencers and online content in Vietnam to increase awareness and preference among a young target audience.

Ducati Motor Holding Spa: Multistrada Family – Born to travel

Case Study • Giacomo Frigerio, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Motorcycle brand Ducati Motor Holding launched a new positioning in the travel sector with its Born to Travel campaign in Europe and the US.

Bangchak: Happy Eatery

Case Study • Pirapak Wipawawong, Wasin Pothikasem, Jiraporn Dechraksa, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Use of Brand Purpose, 2020

Bangchak the energy company used a feel-good story of a local eatery to create brand love among a mass audience in Thailand.

Tata Motors: Ramadan – Celebrating Goodness In Middle East

Case Study • Soumitra Pal, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Vehicle manufacturer Tata Motors created a digital and on-ground Ramadan campaign to affirm its position as a full-range commercial vehicle player and build brand love in the Middle East.

Audi: e-tron emoji CO2 saver

Case Study • Filipe Da Costa, Mathilda Borne, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Auto maker Audi harnessed the power of social to raise awareness, and show the world it is deeply evolving and working to reduce its environmental impact.

Renault: This is Renault

Case Study • Fabio Belfiori Belfiori, Corrado Gallo, Valentina Geria, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Social Strategy, 2020

Automotive brand Renault Italy harnessed the power of the playlist to strengthen its links with its fan base and further increase loyalty.

Honda: Honda SENSING Cart

Case Study • Mark Leong, David Lim, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Innovation, 2020

Auto manufacturer Honda hit on an innovative way to simulate a test drive that allowed it to reclaim market share and demonstrate to Malaysian consumers how advanced safety technology can benefit drivers.

Bentley: An Extraordinary Journey to the Future

Case Study • Hanna Lubin, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2020

Luxury automotive brand Bentley changed perceptions of a new younger audience in the UK through the use of innovative, compelling content.