A Conquest Program Designed to Engage and Convert
- ClientAcura
- IndustryAuto
- ServicesMarketing · Customer Experience
- CapabilitiesContent strategy
Strategy
Our strategy was to evolve Acura’s brand perception away from retail/rational (a focus on techs and specs) to one in which emotions played a greater role, particularly for a key audience segment called “Spirited Independents.”
For these individuals, hard data often underpins buying decisions, but their true passion for the brand comes from intangible qualities that transcend the practical.
Email Marketing
Telling Better Stories
Product-focused communications have their place, but our new content strategy called for the creation of emails with a greater emphasis on emotional engagement.
Instead of corporate and pushy, the new creative messaging continues to be more story driven and personable.
Designed To Delight
The emails feature attention-grabbing lifestyle and product imagery, clean and energetic lines and a composition that evokes the “feel” of Precision Crafted Performance.
The goal was to create an email design language that not only integrates with
all other digital and traditional marketing efforts, but also communicates and showcases the new design language
of Acura’s product lineup.
Fast Time-To-Market
Breaking news and information often needs to be shared quickly with Acura’s audiences (awards won, Acura Motorsports race wins, etc.), so the timing of emails is important. To make rapid releases practical, a modular email design system was established that also allowed us to bring Acura’s brand to life.
Our solution was to create a set number of module variations that can be mixed and matched based on specific topics, content requirements and storytelling.
Instead of one-off creations that are challenging to duplicate, Acura’s emails can now be designed, developed and sent in a fraction of the time they would take otherwise, while still looking tailor-made.
Analysis & Optimization
Designing new emails is just the beginning. After each campaign delivery, comprehensive analysis always takes place. In addition to the basic metrics of open rate, click throughs, etc.,
Rhythm developed engagement metrics to measure content popularity, time spent with content and paths to conversion—really understanding how email drives consumers to the destination experience.
By rigorously testing and learning, we tailor emails to maximize what works and refine what doesn’t. Through our analysis and optimization efforts, we continue to develop content that resonates with Acura’s audience segments and increases brand engagement.
Results
Email open rates have been more than double industry averages
Click-through rates have been 47% higher than industry averages
American Honda Motors has awarded Rhythm with the Premiere Partner Award for outstanding service and performance
Search
Automotive shoppers typically begin the buying process with just a few brands in mind. They then conduct research online before narrowing their choices and visiting a dealership.
Using competitor branded keywords and content, Rhythm intercepted automotive shoppers during their online searches and invited them to compare their preferred luxury vehicle against an Acura model within the same class.
Searches could also be conducted within YouTube, where attractive visuals for “Acura vs competitors” served as powerful calls-to-action and invited further engagement.
YouTube Cards proved highly effective, particularly on mobile devices.
Product Focus
We designed an experience where users could easily compare and contrast their initial luxury vehicle of choice (Audi, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti) to an Acura within the same class using detailed specs, options and pricing information.
Content Approach
The automotive industry never stands still. New makes and models are typically introduced yearly, requiring us to keep all conquest pages and videos up to date. Ensuring that content remains fresh for both Acura vehicles and the competition is not only valuable for automotive shoppers, it improves organic search rankings and Quality Score.
The Results
Email Results
Email open rates have been more than double industry averages
Click-through rates have been 47% higher than industry averages
American Honda Motors has awarded Rhythm with the Premiere Partner Award for outstanding service and performance
Video Content Results
89,821 total Organic Traffic
$94,800 avg. per month Earned Media Value
$1,611,843 all time total Earned Media Value
Social Intercept Videos Showcase Acura's Strengths
Our 30 second social intercept videos were created to quickly showcase an Acura model against a top competitor—for example, the Audi Q5 vs the Acura RDX.
Because of their short duration, one or two key features were promoted from the following categories: Performance, Styling, Technology, and Design.
Read More
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newbiz@codeandtheory.comCode and Theory is a proud member of Stagwell Group. Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com
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