PLUG INTO THE POSITIVE ENERGY

http://www.creamglobal.com/case-studies/latest/17798/32742/plug-into-the-postive-energy/

Insight

In April 2012, Renault launched its first 100% electric vehicle in Europe, the Renault Twizy. Using youngsters involvement in music, Renault aimed to deepen its relationship with its target youth audience through its alliance with the number one DJ in the world and Europe's biggest party promoter, David & Cathy Guetta.

An unusual launch took place with the goal of re-aligning Renault’s image towards a more innovative one that could reach the right core target: young urbanites between the age of 18 and 35.

Renault Twizy associated itself with the fame and image of Cathy & David Guetta, intending to tie in with authentic music and the clubbing culture which was so popular amongst youngsters of that age, and create a loyal fan base. The idea behind the campaign was that in order to create the right association around the Twizy in the mind of its target audience, it would be more successful if it used an emotional tie via music and the clubbing culture, together with positive energy.

Strategy

With Twizy, Renault was launching the next generation of cars and targeting the next generation of drivers. In order to capture its audience successfully, the brand looked into what this particular group liked the most, and decided to direct its campaign towards youngsters’ interest in electronic music. 

Renault built a strong integrated campaign based on a partnership with David Guetta, whose music and mind-set perfectly fit the ‘positive energy’ positioning of the Renault Twizy.

The activation went beyond a traditional endorsement. Renault’s association with David Guetta allowed the brand to develop content that its young target was used to consuming (music, music video, digital experience…etc.) and allowed it to broadcast Renault on their preferred media too: David Guetta’s own powerful communication channels (his Facebook page with more than 34 million fans, his Twitter with more than 6.7 million followers, VEVO channel…etc.). David Guetta’s galaxy became the main media for the campaign, thus shifting the focus from earned to paid media while appearing more engaging and credible to the audience.

Execution

All actions that took place were consistent and innovative. Firstly, an exclusive launch of a David Guetta track, The Alphabeat, took place, and its digital release came with an exclusive 3D Sound Mix App provided by Renault Twizy.

Moreover, the production and launch of The Alphabeat video clip on Guetta’s Vevo channel, took the car as the key ‘character’, and was shown as being recharged by the energy people produced while dancing on the floor.

The ‘F*** me I’m famous’ release party for The Alphabeat single took place at L’Atelier Renault and became a ‘Plug Into The Positive Energy’ party. The TV commercial was a recut version of the music video and Cathy & David Guetta worked with Renault’s senior vice-president designer, Laurens Van den Acker, to develop a show car, a Renault Twizy by Cathy & David Guetta which was unveiled at the Paris Motor show.

Results

David Guetta agreed to be associated with the product on digital, through PR, in media and in “below the line actions”. He and Cathy’s own communication channels became the main (earned) media support for the campaign, as they pushed pieces of Renault’s branded content/news etc. through their Twitter accounts, Facebook fan page, etc. This allowed Renault to not have to push pieces through its own (paid) media, allowing for a more engaging/credible campaign as David’s fans saw a true partnership that he endorsed, while also providing substantial savings in media buying.

11 million views for The Alphabeat music were achieved, 900,000 unique visitors to twizy.renault.com were attained and more than 130 million views on YouTube.

100 countries were reached through this campaign and on earned media in France, according to a study made byL'Argus de la presse, more than 1,800 quotes on social networks were achieved.

The video clip recorded about 6 million views, making it the most watched audio-visual product brand, according to the worldwide Advertising Director.