Suzuki Saturdays

IPA Effectiveness Awards Case Study 2018

Suzuki’s share of the UK market languished at 1.3% at the end of 2015. Consumer insight, motor reviews and dealer feedback indicated there was an opportunity to emphasise the fun in driving Suzuki cars. To highlight enjoyment and grow consideration, Suzuki formed a content partnership with ITV’s ‘Saturday Night Takeaway’, spanning talent, licensing, broadcast sponsorship, and content creation. Following the launch of #SuzukiSaturdays, brand consideration reached a record 44%, while increased share of market made Suzuki the fastest-growing UK car brand for two years running. This case estimates the approach paid back £207m in incremental revenue.

Advertising in the automotive category had become stale. Moving away from the category conventions was a brave move for us, especially as a challenger. We recognised the need to build our brand and we took a long-term approach to this from the outset. It meant holding our nerve at times and not reacting to short-term conditions. Suzuki Saturdays took an entirely new approach to content creation and distribution. We worked directly with the producers of Saturday Night Takeaway, using their transferable skills in production and talent management to create standout assets. From this, we’ve learnt to be more agile in the way we develop ideas and let them grow overtime. The sense of fun we’ve worked hard to build isn’t just a tone of voice, its evolved over the years and is now ingrained in all that we do as a brand. It’s reflected not only in our brand assets, but it has also changed the way we engage our dealer network and in turn, the dialogue they have with customers on the shop floor. Throughout the course of the campaign, we learnt a lot about what our audience liked and were responding well to. We used this to inform and adapt our media and creative approach, avoiding wear out. We also learnt a lot about ITV’s creative and production process, and in turn, ITV were invited into our world. Suzuki Saturdays was a direct output of shared appreciation and understanding of each other’s craft. We’ve learnt to take calculated risks and push boundaries, stretching ourselves and our agency partners. This resulted in award winning communications that really helped Suzuki stand out in the category. Our communications punched well above their weight, made significant shifts in brand metrics but also sold record numbers of cars in the process.

Tammy Charnely, General Manager, Marketing
Suzuki