AM Awards: Best marketing programme, Nationwide Autocentres

Best marketing programme sponsored by Experian

Nationwide Autocentres’ key marketing conundrum has always been to produce a promotion which would bring in customers to its sites when they weren’t due for a service or MoT.

The objective drove a new marketing initiative. Previous activity had focused on seasonal health checks, something which competitors had copied.

A unique selling point was needed and due to the current climate, Nationwide decided to develop a service which focused on improving a car’s fuel economy.

Nationwide set up a taskforce of six individuals representing all facets of the company.

The team identified that a fuel system and engine flush could be combined with a number of other simple checks to improve the fuel burning efficiency of a car. This resulted in improved mpg rates.

Nationwide measured the effectiveness of the product with an emissions test before and after and showed the results to customers. Average improvements in fuel economy ranged from 8% to 25%.

Having decided on the product, Nationwide teamed up with
The Sun as a media partner to promote it, and this resulted in
editorial coverage in its September 16, 2008, issue, along with a £5 off reader offer.

From inception to launch, Nationwide developed its fuel service plan in just 30 days.

The Daily Express, Daily Star and Auto Trader also ran reader offers to support the campaign, providing the idea with further momentum at no cost to Nationwide.

To date, the scheme has had a 100% success rate in terms of demonstrating improved fuel burning efficiency, with no refunds.

Nationwide also launched a viral web game. More than 100,000 people played it in its first week.

As a measure of success, not only did the campaign drive full and major service sales, it also drove invoice values considerably above previous campaigns.

Nationwide’s last winter campaign generated an invoice value of £111, but within the first two months of the new promotion, the average invoice went up to £278, generating more than £100,000 of additional revenue.

An average of 24 customers take the fuel test every day, four more than the company’s target.

Highly Commended