Insights
The Moroccan desert: rocks, nomads, colourful villages, truckloads of sand and you in a roaring Hummer. An experience predestined only for the rich and lucky ones? Thanks to the Continental Conti4x4Trophy, it isn’t. All you need is a driver’s license, an enthusiastic co-pilot and a persuasive application.
Continental decided to give this adventurous event all the exposure it could get. Enter LUON. These were the insights that got us going…
- Continental is an international far-famed tire manufacturer
- The company’s main purpose is to grant consumers a great driving pleasure
- An off-road adventure remains only a dream for most people
- So twice a year Continental hosts a desirable off-road raid through the Moroccan desert
Objectives
Continental launched small-scale versions of the Conti4x4Trophy from 2007 until 2009. It was exclusively for customers and the participation was limited. So for the 2010 and 2011 editions Continental called in LUON to stir things up. Three main goals were defined:
- Enrol more contestants
- Get more involvement from the candidates
- Generate more direct sales
The link between campaign participation and purchase consideration of Continental products systematically increased.
Ideas
- We opened the contest to everyone: the sales mechanic remained, but wasn’t mandatory anymore.
- We developed a new website, www.conti4x4trophy.be, where people could compete for a ticket to the selection day. There were different methods of trying to secure a ticket: with an original application, by winning one of the weekly quizzes or by earning the most virtual miles.
- People could earn miles through several actions: liking Continental on Facebook, referring friends, buying Continental tires,…
- The contests are mainly activated by an email program, by an ingenious refer-a-friend mechanism and social media.
- The last two editions each were supported by a media partner: one by VT4, a national TV station and one by P-Magazine, a popular men’s magazine
- A social media plan was rolled out on the Facebook campaign profile with contest updates, pictures and encouraging replies
Result?
- The number of visits per month on the Conti Trophy campaign site measured up by a factor of 5.7
- The number of contestants multiplied by 13. More than 3,000 Belgian off-road teams entered the last contest.
- No less than 15.000 enthusiasts liked the Conti 4x4 Facebook brand page: quite a bit for such a niche audience.
- The number of sales invoices received doubled, although purchase was not mandatory for participation. So the link between campaign participation and purchase consideration of Continental products systematically increased.
- The off-road trophy received nationwide attention on sites, blogs, magazines and even on national television.
- Due to the success and the positive impact for Continental on the Belgian market, the Conty4x4Trophy was launched in the United Kingdom as well.
So did the interaction end together with the campaign? Not nearly. The Continental page on Facebook evolved throughout the competition from a brand page to an off-road loving community. Just see for yourself: people are continuously sharing photos, commenting and cheering each other on. And after 5024 interactions we’re still waiting for the first negative one. They’re no longer opponents in a contest but a bunch of like-minded friends.