Prism Awards 2018 | Business to Business16 February 2018

Building a leadership brand in the premium automotive segment

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The challenger brand targeting a leadership position: distinction in an industry that races to the middle

Statement of opportunity

OUR CHALLENGE: Overcome the race to the middle. Create distinction and trust for Audi mother brand in segment that traditionally only engages motoring media about individual name plates

OUR BRIEF: Change approach and launch anAudi corporate communications programme for the first time, manage the simultaneous introduction of a new market CEO

Opportunity to challenge conventional industry approach to communications. Introduce new content pillars and new owned engagement platforms

Traditionally, Audi hasn’t positioned itself as a brand with a significant “PR presence” outside of engaging motoring media about products and launches. BUT, a motoring brand pushing content to motoring media isn’t exactly distinctive - especially in a cluttered premium segment that just seem to do the same thing.

For Audi this required a shift in gears. Our task was clear, establish an Audi “corporate brand” and leverage this corporate content to measurably contribute to a halo for Audi’s brand in South Africa, not withstanding its smaller footprint and scale. What was key was to have the conversations among potential customers in the C-Suite, government and policy makers and the general premium consumer segment as a whole.

Opportunity to be the voice and take the lead in sector-wide corporate communications - challenge convention where the only voices are Naamsa (around monthly sales) and an ad hoc annual update from the industry CEO currently chairing Naamsa

OUR RESPONSE: Development of a strong opinion leadership and engagement programme, develop a new Audi narrative to bring “Vorsprung” to life in South Africa, develop owned platforms to be lead by key Audi SA executives

Our response was to embrace the power of opinion and link this into strategically defined content pillars. This approach allowed Audi to manage its opinion within the context of its own business strategy to be the best premium brand in the local automotive market. We managed this effort using a combination of original local (80%) and global (20%) content.

Opportunity to implement clear content anchors from which to drive how this story is told (and activated) in corporate and consumer environments. Develop strong leadership profile for new CEO for Audi in SA

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Qualitative media audit

Conversation mapping and

active listening

Review of global and SA

business strategies

We conducted formal qualitative research to ensure our work addressed the appropriate “unmet need”

Insight creation: Research

We conducted a full independent qualitative media audit. To gain further understanding of the responses, we assigned analytical nodes to the replies and allocated values. These were then processed to provide graphical representations of the opinions shared, giving us a qualitative understanding of media perceptions around the Audi brand in South Africa.

Using a senior data analyst we conducted analysis of all online themes and influencers, mapping these back to the results generated by the media audit. This allowed us to pivot and contextualise responses and themes.

20 Media | 60 Minutes face to face interview | 35 Focused questions per interview

Themes were mapped back to the global Audi brand strategy as well as the local business and marketing strategies. These were cross referenced to the outcomes of both audits and workshopped with client to create a content and engagement framework

INNOVATION, AI AND AUTONOMOUS DRIVING | FUNCTIONAL IN THE CONTEXT OF EMOTIONAL | LOCALISED EVERYTHING | ADDRESS HOW AUDI DRIVES PROGRESS

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Competition in the segment required distinction for AudiInsight creation: competitor and market analysis

Much of the automotive sector corporate focus remains mobility. This is limited to global activity. For Audi there remains an opportunity progress this debate.

South Africa’s performance in World Economic Forum competitive rankings are negatively influenced by the “innovation pillar” specifically

Opportunity for Audi to drive a specific conversation, relevant to its brand and society as a whole

“Sustainable mobility (Toyota Earth Charter)”

“eMobility, sustainability and

C02 reduction”

“Sustainable mobility”

“Zero emission mobility”

“Sustainable mobility”

The question: What is the future of innovation?

The answer: Audi

Our industry is under pressure Our brand needs to be distinctive Our opportunity is clear

1. A Tough landscape:• Significant strain on volumes• Increased competitive focus on

product (to drive even justincremental sales)

2. A Poor economic climate:• Amplified “buy down” culture among

consumers• Upward pressure of pricing

1. Overcome the generic communications “race to the middle”:

• Bring Vorsprung to life in a meaningful and credible way, make it part of South Africa’s story (clear story well told)

• Generate and provide the depth being demanded by media (not just motoring media) to drive word of mouth / reach

• Engagement and activation that drives influence of this story

1. Narrative: Defining a clear (compelling) story2. Always-on content: Clear content anchors

from where we can engage and build a consistent presence outside of product campaigns and launches

3. Thought leadership: Drive a trust halo for our nameplates by developing strong industry leadership credentials

The need to move from mobility to innovation

Making innovation both rational and emotional

Leading the answer to the future of innovation #drivingprogress

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Opinion leadership is real thought leadership and a more effective corporate communications approach

Strategic approach and planning

Objective 1: Define Narrative and Content

Define our story (narrative) and map this to rich content,

develop a clear leadership profile in always-on earned

media programme

Objective 2: Build Relationships of ValueGrow the value of our

relationships, increase our network and influence beyond

the usual suspects

Objective 3: Drive Leadership Platforms and Engagement

Build and entrench our leadership credentials, support

introduction of new market CEO on owned, shared and

earned platforms

CULTURALLY RELEVANT

NARRATIVE

OPINION BASED

CONTENT

ENGAGEMENT THAT IS

INFLUENTIAL

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ü Narrative workshop (including client CEO and CMO)

ü Audience segmentation and mapping of stories and content

ü Segment research and active listening

ü Active listening, data and analytics programme

ü Content calendars (local content)ü Content calendar (global content)

ü Audit of current engagement platforms and collateral

ü Messaging framework and long form narrative

ü Capacity building (media training, messaging training)

ü Dealer briefing materialsü Issues management escalation and

responses

ü Development of proof points to support Audi Agenda

ü Development of hero content

ü Development of owned platforms ü Participation in global Audi platforms and

events

Inpu

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Artificial intelligence

• Technology and Intelligent technologies • Digitalisation of motoring• Audi Intelligence• E-tron

Innovation

• Mobility behaviours• Product• Aftersales and service excellence• The future of human connection

Trust in our leadership

• Key business areas impacting automotive in SA and Africa including policy landscape

• Transport infrastructure and multi modal transport solutions

• Skills, transformation and BBBEE• Industry 4.0

Creativity

• Quality• Craft• Design

Diversity

• Defining our customer (understanding who the progressives are in South Africa)

• The role of personal freedom• Car sales versus car usage

Entrepreneurial spirit

• Audi Sport• My car in my life (enabling my dream)• Supporting progressive behaviours in South

Africa• Brand experience

Insights were used to map clear and measurable content anchors: more than an automotive brand “selling cars”

Ratio

nal

Emot

iona

lStrategic approach and planning

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Our work (over five months) focused on an earned and owned engagement effort

Implementation and execution

Opinion based earned media Owned platform development to drive amplification and engagement

Opinion leadership hero content• Urban Mobility the key in facing the next automotive revolution• Finding brand partnerships that make a difference • Electrification of South African Automotive Industry• Artificial Intelligence to push the future of mobility • Better policy alignment will drive competitiveness from SA’s automotive

sector• Outlook for 2018 automotive products trends

Always-on content • Appointment of new Head of Audi South Africa • Audi initiative defines key terms for mobility in the city of the future • Human robot cooperation: KLARA facilitates greater diversity of versions

in production at Audi• Audi Models with a solar roof: Car manufacture cooperates with Hanergy • Audi launches Virtual Reality technology in dealerships • New robot colleague in the assembly of Audi A4/A5 models • Audi South Africa achieves big in 2017 as focus on “best premium brand”

strategy is successfully being realised

#Drivingprogress roundtable forums• Current trends, challenges and opportunities in the global and South

African automotive industry• October - Audi SA product plan over the next 12 months with key focus

on autonomous driving

Amplification on Audi owned channels• Sharing on Audi social channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook)

• Evolution of LinkedIn into a blog based content hub• Sharing on dealer based communications channels

Audi Brand Summit Barcelona

Leadership engagement with key media• Technology writer - Arthur Goldstuck• Technology influencer – Aki Anastasiou• Business Day – Roy Cokayne• Popular Mechanics – Anthony Doman • Destiny Man – Thabiso Tema

July 2017 appointment of new CEO December 2017

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Measuring what mattersMeasurement and results

*Measurement tools: Pair Harvest Monitoring, Crimson Hexagon and Synthesio

43%

26%

17%

14%0%0%

Leadership Trust

Innovation

Artificial Intelligence

Diversity

Entrepreneurship

Creativity

62%

8%

11%

6%

13%

B2B

Technology

Consumer

Special Operations

Automotive

METRIC WHAT WE CAN MEASURE WHAT WE WANT TO IMPACT

VOLUME Reach and coverage values, regional and national segmentation Likeability

TONE Sentiment Image(Prestige)

MEDIA DIVERSITY Segmentation of media type (platform, corporate & consumer) LikeabilityImage

TOPIC DIVERSITY Visibility of key messages and topics Image(Prestige)

LEADERSHIP VISIBILITY Visibility of key spokespersons Likeability Image

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R30-million in coverage generated over five months, 42-billion impressions generated, increased share of voice in line with 30% target benchmark*

Measurement and results

Brand Image (volume target, diversity of media)

Brand Prestige (focused topic structure, diversity of topic)

Brand Likeability (tonality and share of voice)

ü Increased thought leadership drives trust ü Increasing dominance over mobility conversations and

themes

ü Content pillars support targeted awareness ü Content focus creates impact: Audi brand demonstrates

most potential reach as compared to MB and BMWü Audi dominates innovation conversation

ü Visible leadership drives credibility ü Competitive share of voice increased 26 -> 29%ü Dominant positive tonality supports increase in reputation

and likeabilityü Overwhelming positive impact on tone (trust)

*Measurement tools: Pair Harvest Monitoring, Crimson Hexagon and Synthesio

The results are taking root: Audi is

increasingly becoming an

industry “voice”

Questions?

Thank you