The Most Detailed Test Drive
Mazda3
Issue 31 | June 2014
Agency
These Days Y&R
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director Sam De Volder Creative Director Mateusz Mroszczak Copywriter Jolien Tuyteleers Senior Copywriter Joeri Quinet Senior Art Director Bram Van Looveren Art Director Kate Bellefroid Designer Inge Vanhees
Production Team
UX Designer Jeroen Haijen Senior Art Director Bram Van Looveren Front-End Developer Lenny Benaicha Back-End Developers Veerle Struyf Michiel Bogaert RTV Producer Daniel Vanderbist Production Rococo
Other Credits
Account Manager Selma Sertkaya Project Manager Liesbeth Stevens Senior Strategic Planner Jef Raeman
Date
December 2013
Background
The new Mazda3 was designed around a number of innovations, which meant it used less fuel, emitted less CO2 and performed better than other cars in its class. Its new KODO design gave it a dynamic and attractive look.
In a noisy market crowded with offers, the task was to raise awareness and drive traffic to the showroom.
Idea
In setting out to create an idea as innovative as the car, it became apparent that what was required was more than a simple test drive. Since each part of the car had been reinvented, the idea was to subject the Mazda3 to the most detailed test drive ever. 31 field- experts tested all parts of the car. For instance, the fog lights were tested by a forester, the windscreen wipers by a window cleaner, the dual zone air-conditioning by identical twins.
This was coupled with a competition to win a year of free driving when visitors to the site had got to know the car inside out.
Results
While the site was live, Mazda.be had a 12,5% increase of unique visitors interested in the new Mazda3. In just one month, 27% more people applied for a test drive of the new Mazda3 against the average of test drive enquiries.
Our Thoughts
Statistics reveal that at any one time only 1% of all motorists are actively looking for a new car. But as an auto-maker, you have to be ready for them when they do start looking. The amount of research most people put into finding their next car is extraordinary yet most websites are little more than online brochures. This is much closer to being genuinely immersive as most so-called immersive experiences. It’s an ingenious way of bringing together a full hour of video content but viewable by car part – in other words, a much more visual way of presenting the information than with a list of buttons and key-words. And without actually having to say it, the website communicates clearly how smart and advanced the car itself is.