As a leading international car manufacturer, Mazda produces one in every five sports cars sold worldwide. To support the launch of the new MX-5 in the United Kingdom, which was redesigned to appeal to a more masculine audience, the company had to change existing perceptions and target men ages 24 to 44.
With eight of ten prospective car buyers researching online, Mazda needed a creative solution and effective channel to broadcast its message to this audience, tailored to enforcing the perception that Mazda is a masculine car brand.
Choosing the MSN and Windows Live™ network, reaching an audience of 21 million people per month, Microsoft Advertising placed MSN editorial links and banner ads in Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger. These links drove the target audience to a custom-built MSN microsite called MSN Mazda MX-5 Men-Only Zone. This space included 85 pages of content including movies, gadgets, viral web sites, motor enthusiasts information, men’s links, and more—all designed to engage the desired audience of men ages 24 to 44.
Mazda achieved its objectives of changing perceptions of the MX-5 and raising awareness of the roadster’s new form.
The campaign:1
- Increased the perception that the MX-5 is a masculine car by 103 percent
- Increased brand favorability by 50 percent
- Increased online awareness by 101 percent
- Attracted more than 200,000 visitors to the site, of which more than 90 percent were male
At Microsoft, we understand the intersection of the consumer and technology. Start seeing the kinds of results Mazda did, with our advertising solutions that are targeted to exactly the audience you want to reach.
