Project: ‘Win the Ultimate Reds Experience’ Competition
- Clare Thorn
- Dec 13, 2021
- 6 min read
Overview
For this campaign, Westpoint Autos leveraged its sponsorship agreement with the Queensland Reds Rugby Club to boost brand awareness and grow the Westpoint customer database. A competition campaign was launched where the winner received; platinum tickets to The Queensland Reds semi-final match, VIP and behind the scenes entry to Suncorp Stadium, Queensland Reds merchandise and transport to the game courtesy of Westpoint Autos. The prize was significant in value and would be appealing to the target audience. This competition was promoted online by Westpoint Autos, The Queensland Reds Rugby Club and the players, giving Westpoint Autos exposure beyond the usual audience.
To enter the competition customers had to enter their details, [name, mobile number, email and favourite car brand] and agree to receive marketing material from Westpoint Autos. This enabled the marketing team to capture valuable contact details and customer demographics that could be leveraged at a later date.
Campaign Goals
Grow the Westpoint Autos database in size
Add engaged contacts to the database
Boost brand awareness of the Westpoint Autos Group
Sample of Campaign Creative Assets
The creative assets were made in collaboration with the Queensland Reds marketing team and myself. They provided video content that I edited and posted to social media accounts.
Social Media Cross Promotion
 |  |
Social Media Video Content
Target audience, customer insight and targeting
Rugby union enthusiasts
The Queensland Reds subscribers and members
Sport enthusiasts
The target audience interacted with the Queensland Reds Facebook and Instagram pages frequently according to their analytics. Most of the effort was spent promoting the competition on these platforms. As there is no cost involved with sending emails, we also promoted the competition via an eDM to the Queensland Reds database. Their open rate was higher than Westpoint Autos - so we believed sending an email in addition to the social media promotion may be beneficial.
Key campaign messages and offers
Enter the competition to win a once in a lifetime Queensland Reds Experience
Subliminal message: Westpoint Autos is gifting you this opportunity to win this great prize. This means Westpoint Autos are a great company and want to make people happy, please consider us when making a purchase.
Westpoint Autos is the official vehicle partner of The Queensland Reds
Subliminal message: Westpoint Autos are aligned with The Queensland Reds in values and spirit. You will associate the two brands with each other. Hopefully, when it comes time for your next vehicle you will think of Westpoint Autos first.
Strategy
Offering the customer the chance to win a prize grabbing their attention
Offering the customer something in exchange for their details
A simple online form that could be filled in easily on any device
Utilising our brand ambassadors large social media audiences to attract attention
Leveraging off the Queensland Reds Club and players audiences to build brand awareness and increase entries
Media schedule and campaign integration
Promoted consistently on Westpoint Autos ‘owned channels’ over the campaign period
Westpoint Autos competition content was shared by brand ambassadors
Westpoint Autos competition content was shared by The Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds sent an eDM to their database about the competition reminding them to enter
Documenting the winner’s experience and sharing on social media to boost brand awareness and improve the public image of Westpoint Autos [See related campaign]
Engage with these new customers at a later date via eDM introducing the Westpoint Autos Brand
Campaign results
This campaign was successful in that 205 contacts were added to our database for no additional cost. This campaign was executed with no budget, as the costs for ambassadors had already been allocated. As part of their contractual obligations, they must promote Westpoint Autos marketing activities on all of their social platforms. [See Westpoint Brand Ambassadors]
See below the webpage analytics from the competition page relating to; the number of entries, devices used and browser used.
This device and browser information while not directly applicable to the campaign KPI's is valuable as Westpoint Autos was also wanting to redevelop its website to be more user friendly and sales focused. The data shows that most visitors were using iPhones - so creating a mobile-friendly website should be a top priority.
Note: It is not a specific device. It means your website was viewed using the UIWebView functionality on an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch). The UIWebView is different from the ordinary Safari browser, as it is not a stand-alone browser, but merely browser functionality that is embedded in a third-party app. [apple.stackexchange.com]
Responses to 'What is your favourite Westpoint Autos brand?
This was a required question on the form to enter the competition. This provided Westpoint Autos with additional insight into this demographic. Meaning Queensland Reds and Rugby supporters who we have access to via eDM, social media and their website as a result of our partnership.
This group may already by familiar with Westpoint Autos as advertisements are shown throughout the match on the sideline banners and large score boards etc. Prior to this competition no research had been conducted to understand what products this audience is interested in. In theory they have a positive association with the brand as they associate Westpoint Autos with their favourite rugby team. Already miles ahead in the funnel than customers seeing our advertising on social media etc. So it is foolish to not have looked at this audience previously.
These insights allow marketing messages to be more in line with the customers interest thus having a higher chance of converting. As you can see below the audience is most interested in Isuzu Ute and Hyundai vehicles. Going forward communication to this database should be centered around these products.
Winner Announcement Video
Post campaign review
Although this campaign was low budget it did return a small boost to the database and customer insights - nothing spectacular. Obtaining 200+ contacts to our marketing database would have taken months if there was not an incentive. So there was return on investment and an overall benefit.
Upon reflection, this should have been a higher budget campaign. Money should have been put towards search ads and advertising on social media. There was a buzz online about the match and it was a hot topic on social media. Any budget spent on advertising would have been stretched further than usual as social media rewards popular content by social it to more people.
In addition large scale database building opportunities don't present themselves very often. This access to The Queensland Reds audience and with should have been pushed much further.
Update: Comparing 'The Reds' audience response to an eDM campaign vs the general 'Westpoint Autos' database
In May 2021 approximately three months after the 'Ultimate Reds Experience' competition ended an eDM was sent out to test the engagement of this new segment. After discovering the audience has a preference for Isuzu Ute products the decision was made to an eDM announcing the 'New MU-X' is coming soon.
Please note we ran a similar competition, again with the Queensland Reds hence the additional 70 contacts.
"Emails were opened and clicked on more frequently than in years past, a trend seen around the world that was heavily influenced by COVID-19. Open rates grew from 18.7% to 20.6%, while click rates increased from 2.8% to 3.1%. While these may look like small shifts, they can translate into a large impact on the bottom line". [Source: www.campaignmonitor.com]
Based on the statistics from campaignmonitor.com this campaigns open rate was almost double the average open rate. Despite the audiences small size the open rate is an indicator of an engaged audience that respond well to eDM marketing. These results also prove my theory mentioned earlier that;
a) Collecting insights about this audience then using them to tailor content can produce impressive open rates [43.7%] and CTR [7.2%]. Some form of demographic research should be a part of any campaign where possible.
b) The Queensland Reds database and social media followers are a valuable audience to Westpoint Autos. Time and budget should be allocated to campaigns tailored to their interests.
Queensland Reds vs Westpoint Autos Open and CTR
An identical eDM was sent to a Westpoint Autos customer database, segmented to include only customers who have registered interested in SUV vehicles. Although the audience was ten times the size and the content was relevant the results plummeted.
This once again demonstrates the value of this audience to Westpoint Autos. They are an engaged audience with obvious preference in product. Time and budget should be allocated to growing and nurturing this Queensland Reds database going forward.