The Brief

Towards the end of each quarter, all auto manufacturers have intense pressure to meet their quarterly sales targets. We wanted to think of innovative and effective ways to boost sales quickly, whilst being in line with smart’s brand image and positioning (innovative, fun, creative). We wanted to leverage the 300 x Pearl Grey Limited Editions of smart to create buzz (within a one-week time frame) and on the back of this, drive leads and sales for regular edition smarts to fulfill (or exceed!) our quarterly sales targets.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We needed a platform that would swiftly reach our target audience and allow quick conversion into sales. E-commerce provided the ideal solution. Over a compact period, we teased awareness with carefully selected media placements and leveraged behavioural engagement tactics on the day to drive sales: Pre-launch: Product integration on China’s hottest TV program Cinema foyer car display to encourage participation with the smart car US$157 voucher offered as incentive to drive sharing of campaign news Launch: Users are encouraged to snap up the 300 vehicles as soon as possible as the selling price will “go up” with every passing hour!

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

300 smart were sold out in 89 mins This equates to approx. 1 car every 30 seconds – this is double the rate of our award winning smart Taoobao campaign in 2010 Beyond this, over thousands of leads were generated to dealers Resulting in a record breaking ROI at more than 1:89 “In this cooperation with MEC, the smart 360buy campaign showed that with a big attitude and smart planning, we can indeed deliver exceptional results…again!” - Javier Lu, Senior Marketing Manager, MBCL

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

In a market with more than 1m Millionaires, smart's target audience values exclusivity more than luxury. Hence a Limited Edition smart. E-commerce has grown aggressively in China, with smart's audience 25-35 year olds being the main drivers. Due to limited budget, we needed a non-traditional way to raise awareness: Instead of TV spots, we gained mass exposure through program placement on the hottest TV show. Instead of Outdoor billboards, we brought the car to the consumer in high affinity locations to our audience. We drove eagerness to purchase by adding an element of urgency to the offer.