Results and Effectiveness

1. The limited edition car out-sold the standard model 10 to 1. 2. Roewe changed strategy – the badged cars were no longer ‘limited edition’ – they had to badge many more to keep pace with sales! 3. More than 84% said the logo made them want to buy the W5. 4. 45% sales growth – a huge ROI. 5. Half said buying the limited edition W5 made them feel like ‘an outdoor professional’. 6. An amazing 84% said the logo made them ‘love’ this car.

Creative Execution

A ground-breaking partnership with the Chinese edition of the magazine, Hua Xia National Geographic, saw the W5 become the first car to be sold in China using a media brand. We sponsored a major feature in the magazine about the daring work of allied trucks in Tibet during WWII to supply the Chinese military. We then created a spectacular PR event that proved the W5’s rugged credentials and built the historical association. We drove it through the hilly terrain of China’s Yunnan province to Tibet – the very same supply route used in WWII – linking the brand to heroism in history. The car carried the brand message: ‘Road of Legends, the professional spirit of Roewe’. This theme was used in the TVC. To allow drivers to live their fantasy every time they climb into the driving seat, we badged limited editions of the W5 with a National Geographic logo.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

When Chinese guys aged 30-45 buy an SUV, they do it because they crave adventure. But the Roewe W5 was a new, local brand. It had no history and no story to tell. Our task was to turn it from being seen as a new, untried car, into one with connections to Chinese history and adventure. But this wasn’t strong enough on its own. We had to engage the imaginations of buyers and let them feel that by driving a W5, they could live an adventure fantasy. We did this by placing a discreet, high-quality badge of the ultimate symbol of adventure on limited editions of the car: the National Geographic logo.