Suzuki chose to introduce the Ignis in June 2017, a time where South Africans were exercising restraint. The market saw an influx of crossover vehicles, and the Ignis offered the value proposition of a compact crossover just as consumers started buying down. Even though Suzuki is known as a small car expert, the model was new and unfamiliar. The Renault Kwid was doing well, and the used car market growing which added further pressures. With a growing interest in the crossover vehicle segment, Suzuki needed to stay relevant. Suzuki needed an integrated marketing campaign targeting a wider audience in order to successfully introduce the vehicle. The target audience was defined as trendy urbanites between the ages of 25 and 34. We further divided the group as having two defining attitudes: Global Citizens and the Now Generation. Global Citizens like to be well informed and take note of advertising and brands. They are the youngest group and mostly come from higher LSMs. The Now Generation wants to own symbols of material success. They are predominantly young and single, enjoy shopping, fashion and status. Care of the environment is low on their agenda. Both groups do on-line research before visiting a dealership. Our strategy was designed so that each channel would contribute to creating maximum awareness. A conceptual campaign was created, “Like no other” and media plans were put together to reflect the marketing strategy and target market insights. “Like no other” was the catchphrase David Doubell, Executive Creative Director, came up with for the sneaky little model. And why is the Ignis like no other? The model itself is, literally, like no other! A crossover with sass, it pretty much stands alone in the marketplace. It’s also like no other Suzuki; the perfect mid-level vehicle for lifestyle enablement South Africa is like no other country. South Africans are also like no other, in a time when the country is rife with choices and options like never before .To reflect this and the afro-centricity of the model, David was inspired by bright Shwe Shwe and wax print fabrics. With a highly competitive price and good fuel efficiency, the Ignis promised to be a good fit in the South African market. A consumer competition microsite was developed and integrated with Suzuki’s social platforms. Lead management was automated so that dealers could instantly follow up on consumers who were converted on the website and through inbound marketing activities. The media launch was held over a two-day period at a studio in Cape Town. Motoring journalists from around the country were invited to the Ignis launch. The journalists arrived at the venue early evening for an interactive introduction to the Ignis. The next morning journalists followed a pre-planned route showing off the Ignis’ capabilities. Dealers were supplied with an array of point of sale material to brand their dealerships. This included demo branding for showroom vehicles highlighting the features of the Ignis. A 30-second television commercial was produced and scheduled in multiple television packages on DSTV, E-TV and SABC. Suzuki also acquired a telenovela headline sponsorship on Mzansi Magic which featured the brand in ad bumpers, opening and closing billboards, and commercial spots. According to targeting research, outdoor media sites were selected in key areas. During the months after launch, sites were booked consecutively to extend exposure from June to October 2017. A selection of ad placements was made in new and existing publications. Using the Suzuki Auto blog and a platform called Hubspot, people were moved through the sales funnel with content and marketing automation. Ad formats included text and display on the Google network, various display banner formats on premium automotive websites, and video marketing on YouTube. The banners pointed to Suzuki’s website where visitors were converted through Hubspot forms which were filtered to dealers. While the CTR benchmark sits at 0.21%, most of Suzuki’s performance were significantly higher than this average. Programmatic ads performed extremely well with a Total of 194 925 Views for the Duration of the integrated marketing communication campaign with an overall View through rate of 69% with an extremely low CPV (Cost per thousand) of R0.30. We developed content around the Ignis’ unique features with click through links to the website where visitors were converted to leads. Suzuki hosted a competition on social media platforms in which consumers could design their own dream day consisting of various activities in the company of a local celebrity. Consumers had to design a mood board, download the product brochure, book a test drive with their local dealer, and share the competition on their social platforms to gain votes for their mood board. Three winners were selected in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. A consumer competition microsite was developed and integrated with Suzuki’s social platforms. Consumers were able to gain points by each of the above activities.

Question 2

Interactive marketing is a marketing communications strategy that enables two way communication between sellers and buyers. Critically discuss how Suzuki used interactive marketing to engage with its customers.