A great idea meets human humour. Auto Trader magazine has been given a win-win campaign by creative & brand agency, 4AM, that underlines the publisher’s relaunch and move to online only.
The great idea is a free billboard competition for fun copy sent in by car owners who want to sell their car. The human humour wraps around that story in a 45-second commercial directed by Sweetshop’s Damien Shatford. The whole thing is being amplified by media, social & PR agency, Lassoo, amnd performance media agency, Unbound.
The campaign, Tell New Zealand about your car, originated from the simple insight that private sellers just want as many people as possible to see their listing. 10 winners each month will receive a nationwide billboard campaign and free exposure for their car sale based on their listing creativity.
David Thomason, strategic lead at 4AM, explained, “It’s actually a campaign about advertising. The TVC shows people trying to write an ad, but they forget the brief. We got quite confused working on it. It’s a brand awareness campaign, but it thinks it’s a promotion.”
Ross Logue, managing director of Auto Trader, added, “We’re looking for listings that are witty, talk to a deeper truth, make you laugh… anything that helps people tell New Zealand about their car. Kiwis love to tell stories about their cars, we actually get emotionally attached to them.”
Kurt Bradley, managing partner & ECD, 4AM, noted, “Being a nostalgic Kiwi brand, Auto Trader is perfectly placed to incorporate our culturally nuanced humour into the campaign in a new way. Expect to see some catchy one-liners like ‘may contain traces of child’ and ‘it’s 23cm too long for my new garage’.”
Thomason added, “In line with sustained advertising effectiveness principles, distinctive brand assets will feature prominently across all channels. But the most memorably distinctive asset will probably be the half-eaten hairy jet plane.”
The full campaign covers TV, online video, digital OOH, cinema, radio, PR, performance media and partnerships, with Kiwis’ unique sense of humour running throughout.
Auto Trader was established in 1981, moving three years ago from print to online after a management buy-out by Ross Logue and Richie East when they acquired it from Bauer Media.
Logue and East had a clear vision for the brand after their acquisition, and for the past five years have re-established Auto Trader back into the hearts and minds of New Zealanders as the number one dedicated automotive marketplace.
Recently Logue and East sold a majority stake to Optimus Group, a Tokyo Stock Exchange listed company, but remain at the helm locally.
Credits:
Client: AutoTrader
Managing Director: Ross Logue
Dealer Manager: Richie East
Creative & Brand Agency: 4AM
Founder, ECD: Steve Thomson
Managing Partner, ECD: Kurt Bradley
Strategy & Creative: David Thomason
Strategy: Emma Popping
Creative Director: Guy Roberts
Client Services Director: Helen Prangley
Design Director: James Nielsen
Senior Designer: Imogen Temm
Media, PR & Social Agency: Lassoo
Head of Strategy & Investment: James Roberts
Communications Director: Kimberly Kastelan
Business Director: Dani Geraghty
Social & PR Account Director: Océane Chouet
General Manager: Daniel Currin
Production Company: The Sweetshop
Director: Damien Shatford
Managing Director & Executive Producer: Ben Dailey
Producer: Jimena Murray
Cinematographer: Marty Williams
Editor: Luke Haigh
Photography: Troy Goodall (Match)
Performance Media Agency: Unbound
Founder & CEO: Quentin Weber
Account Manager: Lyndal Whiting
