Client: KYMCO
Country: Taiwan
Industry: Automotive
Agency: BBDO
Target Audience: Females ages 18-25
Solutions/Products: MSN
Objectives:
Announce the launch of the new KYMCO MANY 100Fi scooter to the target audience in Taiwan
Results:
The combination of PR, advertising, and interactivity across multiple MSN channels helped KYMCO achieve a high degree of consumer engagement and strong sales performance
Background/Challenge:
Headquartered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, KYMCO is a major manufacturer of motorcycles, scooters, utility vehicles, and ATVs. The company was established in 1963 and has since grown to become the largest scooter producer in Taiwan. KYMCO employs approximately 3,000 people in Taiwan, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam and exports its products around the world.
KYMCO launched the new KYMCO MANY 100Fi scooter in Japan at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show in April 2009, and wanted to develop a high-impact launch in its home market of Taiwan. KYMCO aimed to differentiate the MANY 100Fi from other scooters in the market by focusing on its aesthetic appeal. With a retro, Japanese-style design and a clean, 100cc engine, KYMCO targeted young female consumers in the 18 to 25 age group. The company enlisted the support of Chie Tanaka, a Japanese actress popular in Taiwan, as the figurehead of the launch, and created the theme “Tokyo Charm & Taiwan Launch.”
KYMCO leveraged a leading news story on Chie Tanaka obtaining her Taiwanese motorcycle license to generate awareness of the launch of the MANY 100Fi in Taiwan. However, in addition to the PR campaign and road shows, the marketing team sought a channel with the breadth to reach its target audience and engage with them closely.
Solution:
With a young target audience and a major celebrity as a spokesperson, the KYMCO marketing team chose to use MSN®, integrating the PR and advertising campaigns and creating the opportunity for two-way communication.
KYMCO recognized that news related to the motorcycle industry and entertainment industry would achieve the depth and breadth of exposure needed for the MANY 100Fi launch. The marketing team extended its coverage by using multiple MSN channels along with advertising and interactive components to promote the MANY 100Fi and its celebrity endorser, Chie Tanaka.
KYMCO created a high volume of press in a short time by distributing news on MSN that focused on the launch of the MANY 100Fi, along with the road shows and sales updates, while using the MSN entertainment channel to share the latest updates on Chie Tanaka attaining her driving license. Meanwhile, the marketing team used the MSN style channel to share Chie Tanaka’s fashion tips, which emphasized the style element of the MANY 100Fi. Users could link the fashion tips to their own blogs, extending and personalizing the campaign to connect with an even greater audience.
At the same time, the MSN Autos channel published a test drive report for the scooter. To gain even more exposure, the marketing team placed video advertisements on MSN Today featuring Chie Tanaka introducing the features of the MANY 100Fi.
Finally, as an interactive campaign element, KYMCO placed advertisements for the MANY 100Fi road shows taking place across Taiwan, on the MSN style channel. Upon clicking the advertisements, users were taken to a microsite where they could play online games and print a gift voucher that could be redeemed for a limited edition key ring at the event.
Results:
Exposure to many using multiple channels
This combination of PR, advertising, and interactivity across the MSN network and the mix of auto, entertainment, and fashion news enabled KYMCO to achieve its goal of connecting with 18 to 25-year-old women.
By placing video advertisement for the MANY 100Fi, and behind-the-scenes footage from the shooting of the advertisement, KYMCO generated a high level of exposure and interest. The advertisement delivered over 2.5 million impressions, while the behind-the-scenes footage was viewed almost 1.3 million times.
Furthermore, KYMCO saw a large number of web users access the online game on MSN and download the voucher for the limited edition key ring. The combination of the virtual and physical experience proved to be an extremely successful approach in bringing the target audience to the road shows.
By creating a fresh marketing strategy and developing a campaign that effectively integrated multiple MSN channels, KYMCO enjoyed a high degree of consumer engagement and trust from the blend of news and advertising, which resulted in strong sales performance.
Huang Dian-Xu, Business Planning Division Chief at KYMCO, commented, “The most important factor of this successful marketing campaign is that KYMCO utilized MSN as an integrated media, rather than a general advertising platform. For two consecutive months, we used news and topic placements to change the perception of our target consumers as to the difference between advertisements and news. This ensured that consumers received multiple forms of communication distributed by KYMCO on MSN, providing them with a rich and diverse media and messaging with which to engage. Using MSN created a definite win-win outcome for KYMCO and MSN.”