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.

Why Bajaj Auto is looking beyond short-term sales figures

News • 16 January 2020

A slowing Indian economy, along with rising inflation and unemployment, suggest that the year ahead will be hard for marketers, but rather than resorting to promotions and discounts, Bajaj Auto is investing in brand building for the long term.

Weltmeister Automobile: Brand as platform

News • 12 December 2019

Weltmeister Automobile, the Chinese electric vehicle brand, believes a brand is more than just a brand and has developed the notion of the ‘brand as platform’ – even though this can at times seem to conflict with brand-building principles.

Electric and hybrid cars fail to impress US consumers

News • 09 December 2019

Multinational automakers are investing huge sums into the development of electric and hybrid vehicles, but it appears American consumers are far less open to the new technology than their counterparts in other major markets.

African-American women help drive Ford’s growth

News • 03 December 2019

Ford, the automaker, is seeking to authentically engage with Black women, an audience that is a major source of growth for vehicles like its pick-up trucks.

How Weltmeister Automobile navigated three brand-building dilemmas in China

Article • Low Lai Chow, Event Reports, Spikes Asia, September 2019

FCB Greater China’s Steve Xue and Weltmeister Automobile’s Michael Shi talk about the roadblocks and lessons learnt in the brand’s growth journey at Spikes Asia.

Shell Lubricants qualitative segmentation study

Case Study • MRS Awards, Winner, MRS Award for Business-to-Business Research, 2019

Shell, an oil industry company, launched a large-scale ethnographic study to inform its global innovation and growth strategy, providing a new direction for redefining relationships with customers in the UK.

Launching a category-breaking brand in China: ICONIQ Motors’ CMO, Bernd Pichler

Opinion • Jenny Chan, November 2019

This interview is part of the Marketer’s Toolkit 2020. Download the summary report here .

How Ford found an audience of female African-American pick-up truck enthusiasts

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, November 2019

Ford, the auto marque, has identified a valuable opportunity in connecting with Black women, who are helping fuel growth for the company.

How Audi China turned an Infiniti blooper into its advantage

News • 21 November 2019

When Infiniti’s logo accidentally appeared in an Audi video ad on WeChat Moments last week, the German automobile brand turned the unexpected crisis on its head.

Volvo’s marketing model drives growth in Brazil

News • 20 November 2019

Volvo, the automotive company, has used an increasingly coordinated approach behind the scenes in Brazil to deliver more impactful marketing, thus helping the brand achieve record sales in the country.

Shell: Closing the online to offline loop with smart use of data

Case Study • Hong Tran, Clarissa De La Paz, Maaz Khan, Joanna Mary, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Best Use of Data, 2019

Oil brand Shell implemented an innovative audience-targeting framework in Malaysia to investigate whether tactical promotions work and, at the same time, increase fuel sales and grow brand preference.

Ford: Every Action Counts

Case Study • WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Best Use of Data, 2019

Car manufacturer Ford used a data-driven marketing initiative to improve its consumer experience and smooth the path to purchase in Vietnam.

Castrol: Influence the Influencer

Case Study • Benjamin Condit, Chaojie Miao, Rocker Hu, Sienna Zhang, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

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

Toyota: Hilux – You’ll be fine

Case Study • Will Jellicoe, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Tech, 2019

Toyota made savvy media choices to increase awareness and drive consideration of its Hilux model in the UK.

Volvo drives record sales in Brazil with a transformed marketing model

Article • Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, Festival of Media LATAM, November 2019

Volvo, the automaker, has generated record sales in Brazil through transforming various core elements of its strategy.

ŠKODA UK: #ThisIsOurTime

Case Study • Susie Milburn, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Volkswagen-owned auto brand ŠKODA leveraged its cycling heritage and sponsorship of the Tour de France to provoke conversations about gender inequality in the sport.

Ford Everest: Carpool Talk

Case Study • Hang Nguyen, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

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

Volkswagen: Bye Bye Beetle

Case Study • Eliza Poor, Jordan Heathfield, Delinda Pu, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

Volkswagen announced it would be retiring its much-loved VW Beetle, so it launched a farewell event in China to give the Bug one last sales push.

Volkswagen: Jump on the Wagen

Case Study • Annelise Donahue, WARC Media Awards, Shortlisted, Effective Use of Partnerships and Sponsorships, 2019

When the USA failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, auto brand Volkswagen switched tactics, implementing a multi-channel campaign to drive awareness, opinion and consideration among football-loving Americans.

Shell: Cross-channel measurement beyond last-click attribution

Case Study • Hong Tran, Priyanka Gupta, Joyce Wu, Germaine Tse, WARC Media Awards, Bronze, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Fuel brand Shell launched a multi-media promo programme to drive top-of-mind awareness and boost fuel sale volumes in Hong Kong.

Can-Am Ryker: A ride like no other

Case Study • Touché!, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Vehicle brand BRP took an unconventional approach to publicise the launch of its latest model to a younger target audience, teaming up with pop culture icons to increase awareness and drive trial.

Volkswagen: Boxing Day

Case Study • Ivan De Santis, Paolo Damato, Matteo Merulli, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Auto brand Volkswagen used a highly targeted campaign to reach football lovers outside traditional channels and moments, and increase its association with the sport.

Audi: Audi City Lab at Milan Design Week

Case Study • Philip Hewitt, WARC Media Awards, Entrant, Effective Channel Integration, 2019

Audi built on its aspirational positioning as the best-selling premium car brand in Italy with an awareness event at Milan Design Week, designed by famous architect Hani Rashid and installed in Milan's famous Piazza Sempione, to target 'premium progressives'.

Automotive