Case study: NRMA - Newspapers encourage re-appraisal
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One-page summary
NRMA encourages re-appraisal
NRMA's newspaper integration successfully led to brand re-appraisal and new member acquisition.
Marketing challenge
NRMA has been helping NSW motorists for about 90 years. But improved reliability of vehicles and more car companies offering roadside assistance packages saw a reduction in relevance for NRMA Membership.
Seeking to address this issue, NRMA relaunched their benefits programme: More4Members. The concept was simple: to attract new members NRMA needed motorists to re-appraise the value of having membership.
The Insight
From mid-2008 there was unprecedented talk and media coverage of impending economic hardship. Therefore, brand marketing needed a new focus - providing value.
The agency reviewed the landscape and observed a paradox: advertisers were spending on advertising rather than doing anything to help people. They arrived at an insight; 'don’t tell me you’re funny, tell me a joke’. Brands needed to provide a demonstration of value rather than just saying it.
The Idea
The marketing concept revolved around helping people where it counted - their back pocket. To achieve this, NRMA's advertising budget was going to underwrite a regularly incurred household cost, and by doing so, bring the More4Members value proposition to life.
Role of newspapers
Newspapers would act as the lead for the More4Members message to elicit both (Re)Appraisal and Call to Action.
They hosted the most current and consistent information in relation to the impending doom of the economy, which provided context for a demonstration of value - They were a regularly purchased household item e.g. The Sunday Telegraph costs $1.80 each week for 30% of NSW households)*.
The idea was hatched. For the first time the Sunday paper would be half price to all readers.
The value would only truly be represented if it was married to product messages. The newspaper was to become a multi-faceted communications vehicle.
Results
The More4Members strategy connected NRMA with The Sunday Telegraph in an integrated partnership, the like of which had never been seen before.
This media first delivered genuine value in consumers’ lives during the toughest economic conditions since the '80s:
- Membership decline was reversed overnight with the campaign delivering +25% more new members than anticipated.
- Benchmarks showed an 18% increase on competition entries
- In keeping with demand the print run of the newspaper increased 200,000 or +27%
- Like never before, the newspaper played an integrated role in delivering a communications message.
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Source: bellamyhayden.
* Roy Morgan, March 2009
