Renault: THE MEGANE EXPERIMENT

Credits & Description:

Category: Direct Response Digital: E-commerce, Online Advertising, Brand Awareness & Social Media
Advertiser: RENAULT
Product/Service: MEGANE
Agency: PUBLICIS LONDON
Date of First Appearance: Jul 25 2010
Entrant Company: PUBLICIS LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Entry URL: http://p-showcase.com/themeganeexperiment/
Creative: Robert Amstell (Publicis)
Creative: Matthew Lancod (Publicis)
Executive Creative Director: Tom Ewart/Adam Kean (Publicis)
Creative Director / Copywriter: Ed Robinson (Publicis)
Director: Henry-Alex Rubin (Smuggler)
Producer: Drew Santarsiero (Smuggler)
Producer: Ray Leaky (Smuggler)
Agency Producer: Joe Bagnall (Publicis)
Agency Producer: Colin Hickson (Publicis)
Designer / Typographer: Paul Belford (This is Real Art)
Photographer: Paul Murphy
Photographer: Mark Wesley (Publicis)
Planner: Julian Earl (Publicis)
Digital Art Director: Christian Horsfall (Publicis)
Digital Copywriter: Ian Sweeny (Publicis Modem)
Digital Creative Director: Alix Pennycuick (Publicis Modem)
Digital Producer: Ken Blake (Publicis Modem)
Digital Account Manager: Pascal Meline (Publicis Modem)
Media placement: TV Campaign - 2 Spots (Trailers) - ITV/C4/FIVE/SKY/IDS/1TV2+4/C4 DIG/FIVE DIG/TURNER/VOD - 25 July 2010
Media placement: Press Campaign - 3 Spots (Trailer) - UK National Press - 26 July 2010
Media placement: Online: Banners/videos/ads (Teasers) - MSN/Media Network/YouTube/Facebook - 26 July 2010
Media placement: TV Campaign - 5 Spots (Launch) - ITV/C4/FIVE/SKY/IDS/1TV2+4/C4 DIG/FIVE DIG/TURNER/VOD - 05 August 2010
Media placement: Online: Banners/videos/ads (Launch) - MSN/Media Network/Google Network/Virgin Media/Guardian & Telegraph/Go Viral - 05 August 2010
Media placement: Press Campaign - 3 Spots (Launch) - UK National Press - 16 August 2010
Media placement: Cinema - 1 Spot - UK National Cinemas - 10 September 2010
Media placement: Cover Wraps - Stylist Magazine/Sport Magazine/Evening Standard - 13 October 2010
Media placement: Bus Sides - 3 Executions (Phase 2) - UK National Bus Routes - 18 October 2010
Describe the brief/objective of the direct campaign.
Our challenge was to raise awareness of the Renault Mégane among new customers and position the car as ‘anti-bland’. Statistical research (towns with more Mégane had a higher fertility rate) pointed to a powerful thought: Mégane was a bringer of joy. More Mégane, more Joie de Vivre. And the most powerful way to promote this thought was to put it to the test through a real experiment: could an English town with no Mégane embrace the French way of life and the car that epitomises it?
Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective with reference to the projected response rates and desired outcome.
We approached The Mégane Experiment like a documentary, not a commercial. We sent one man (Claude) to Gisburn, Lancashire to spread joie among the town’s inhabitants and filmed how they reacted to him and his Mégane. The resulting eleven minute film was completely unscripted and everything you see is genuine. The film was hosted on www.TheMéganeExperiment.com along with interactive games, Facebook links, and a Joie map of the UK. A fully integrated media campaign (TV, press, online display and PR) was employed to drive consumers to the microsite to follow Claude’s journey and the see the effect of the Mégane.
Explain why the creative execution was relevant to the product or service.
This is the next generation of advertising. Not just making a bold claim, but taking a product truth and proving it on air with real people in an entertaining, fascinating, and ultimately moving film about the transformation of a small town in Lancashire. And this is part of the success of this campaign. It’s a testament to the power of truth in advertising; the reactions of real people over and above the typical image of a model driving a highly polished car around mountain roads in an exotic countryside. We have moved away from car industry cliché to pop culture.
Describe the results in as much detail as possible with particular reference to the RESPONSE of the target audience including deliverability statistics, response rates, click throughs, sales cost per response, relationships built and overall return on investment.
The campaign generated 417,873 unique microsite visitors. Rich banner CTR reached 0.28% (twice automotive industry norms), viral content CTR reached 4.98% and YouTube content exceeded 313,000 views.
Mégane market share increased 52% compared to 2009, while the market leader’s sales declined 16%. Brand scores for “personality and character” increased from 11.9 to 19.4 at the campaign peak. The Gisburn residents introduced more joie de vivre into their lives opening a new deli, voting to twin their town with Claude’s hometown and setting up a Zumba class. And yes, a car really did change a town.