Renault: RENAULT COURTESY AD

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: RENAULT
Agency: PUBLICIS BRUSSELS
Category: Best Use of Media Relations
Advertising campaign: RENAULT COURTESY AD
Art Director: Alain Janssens (Publicis Brussels)
Account Director: Francis Lippens (Publicis Brussels)
Client Services Director: Denis Henet (Publicis Brussels)
Advertiser's Supervisors: Miguel Aguza (Renault Belgique Luxembourg)
Executive Creative Director: Paul Servaes (Publicis Brussels)
Account Manager: Julie Oostvogels (Publicis Brussels)
Advertiser's Supervisors: Aline Hoffmann (Renault Belgique Luxembourg)
Copywriter: Eric Piette (Publicis Brussels)
Strategic Planner: Henk Ghesquière (Publicis Brussels)
Designer: Jens Wolfs (Publicis Brussels)
Advertiser's Supervisors: Xavier Laporta (Renault Belgique Luxembourg)

Strategy
Zag when the others zig. When the industry opts for hard-selling promotional ads, trying to get rid of overstock, Renault invests in a campaign around corporate social responsibility.Belgium is the country with most traffic jams in Europe. This leads to more aggression on the road. For this reason Renault has taken up the cause to toot the horn for the European Week of Courtesy on the Road.

Relevancy
In Belgium, the whole car industry is suffering from continuous bad news: closing factories, sales declines and bad outlooks. Topping this: a dramatic increase of traffic agression. As a leader, Renault needs to find a way out of this negative spiral. And tactical promotions alone won’t do.

Execution
Instead of telling people how to behave, we decided to lead by example. The most courteous act we can do on the road is to give way to others. Like giving up a parking spot. This is literally what Renault is doing – giving up its place in the press. The brand has given up a full page ad in Belgian daily newspapers to show a VW Golf and a Nissan Juke instead of its own model.

Effectiveness
We cannot tell if people showed more kindness on the road than before. But we saw proof of the law of reciprocity. As a result of our ads, main challenger Volkswagen showed respect too, by returning the favor and offering their media space to Renault. Such a proof of courtesy was never seen before in Belgian advertising history. So if all drivers would follow the example of Renault, the road would definitely be a nicer place.

Campaign Description
In Belgium, like elsewhere in Europe, aggressive driving is becoming more and more frequent. Renault has taken up the cause to toot the horn for the European Week of Courtesy on the Road. The most courteous act we can do on the road is to give way to others. This is literally what Renault has done: the brand has given up a full page ad in Belgian daily newspapers to VW Golf and to Nissan Juke. The goal: inject a ray of positivity to the car industry’s communication in hard economical times.

Client Brief Or Objective
To come with a totally different, positive angle in communication. To create and renew sympathy for the leader.