Work

Renault’s Successful British Brand Comeback

  • Automotive

The Challenge

Renault was a respected and well-loved icon in the UK automotive industry and was known for its marketing campaigns that won the hearts and minds of the British public. After experiencing a significant decline in consideration, Renault approached Vivaldi to help rejuvenate the brand and reconnect with audiences in a way that’s engaging and true to the brand.

The Opportunity

Renault had to create a new force of attraction with consumers to ensure its long-term success in the UK market and reestablish itself as a British brand at heart. To create this gravitational pull in a relevant and authentic way, Vivaldi generated digital, social, and content marketing strategy, creative, and activations – shared via a Playbook to guide all communications going forward.

The Outcome

Our strategic partnership provided Renault with the perfect vehicle to stake its position in the market and capitalize on exciting opportunities for growth. The results have been exceptional - with reach, awareness, and engagement being at an all-time high for the brand.

How do you rejuvenate a brand back to its iconic status?

In the UK automotive market Renault was once an icon with well-loved marketing communications such as the “Papa & Nicole” campaign for the Renault Clio permeating British culture. However, for over a decade the brand has been in decline with consideration well below its previous levels. Renault knew it needed to win over the hearts and minds of the British public again so it turned to Vivaldi to define and activate its digital, social and content marketing strategy, creative and activations. 

Reconnecting with audiences in a relevant and authentic way 

To kick things off Vivaldi Group delved deep to seek out powerful consumer, competitor, and company insights that would define a distinctive and inspiring Communications Vision for the brand — one that would guide all communications going forward.  

Vivaldi Group implemented its proprietary “Six Pillar” strategic planning framework to: define and better understand key audiences; develop a distinctive yet consistent tone of voice; determine and prioritize the most effective channels;  construct inspiring content themes and frameworks; plan the distribution approach to generate the greatest impact; and finally, develop a robust measurement framework for ongoing tracking and optimization. This was all captured and communicated via a Playbook (brand bible) that was shared with all stakeholders. 

A crucial aspect of the strategy was to generate insights and activities that would enable us to better connect, activate and build closer relationships with audiences creating a new force of attraction with the brand and natural gravitational pull. Vivaldi Group sought out collaborators and partners who would enable the creation of this virtuous cycle, such as lifestyle influencers, passion point content creators, ecosystem partners, and celebrities. 

Renault Arkana - Hybrid by Nature: Thierry Henry

Vivaldi Group has been activating the strategy within the Playbook for over 18 months via always-on content and community management within specific channels and via digital and social content activations at key times during the year. The results have been exceptional with reach, awareness, and engagement at an all-time high for the brand. There’s even been an increase in car sales derived directly from the activity Vivaldi implemented, with over 1,100 cars sold attributed to a single campaign.