Insurer alerts client by txt message when roads get icy

A Dutch car insurer for women recently launched a useful new service. As soon as weather warnings are issued about conditions that could make driving hazardous, Onna-onna sends its clients a text message advising them to be extra alert or even stay off the road. The company relies on weather reports from the National Meteorological Institute, and provides the text messages free of charge to clients who have signed up for them.

Aiming to reduce the number of accidents caused by heavy winds, icy roads and severe thunderstorms, the warning service is part of Onna-onna's wider efforts to promote road safety. Which isn't a purely philanthropic gesture, of course—lower accident rates are good for any insurer's bottom line. Onna-onna is planning to trial the service for a year before evaluating and potentially adding other SMS-based perks.

For companies trying to build their brand and forge meaningful relationships with their customers, text messages offer a relatively inexpensive way to keep in touch. And a powerful one, if used to share information that's both relevant and useful. What would your customers like to hear from your brand, in 160 characters or less?

Website: www.onna-onna.nl

Free car for the week-end, no strings attached

It’s the car-buying equivalent of being handed a cute puppy, knowing you can give it back if you don’t want it: Renault is hoping that once consumers spend a weekend with its new Mégane Hatch, they'll want to keep it. UK residents can log on to Renault’s extended test drive site to choose whether to try out a car for 24 hours on a weekday, or from Friday evening to Monday morning to get a real sense of ownership. To make the experience even easier, the car is delivered to and collected from test drivers' houses. The offer is managed in partnership with Avis, who deal directly with customers and take responsibility for car deliveries. The system was initially set up to encourage busy company car drivers to test drive the Mégane. However, realising the appeal of the offer, Renault has opened it up to retail customers as well. In tough times, getting as close as possible to consumers is a smart move, especially if you can partner with another brand to handle logistics, as Renault has done with Avis.

IKEA to Reveal a Concept car

We found a new mini site Ikea has launched to showcase the reveal of a ‘concept car’: http://www.roulez-leko.com/ The wrapped vehicle is called Leko. The concept car is a modular design which can operate as a coupe or as a convertible, and has the full backing of the World Wildlife Fund France. Rumor is that the car will be sold flat-packed and assembled with only an allen wrench. The site counts down to a few moments before April 1st.

Bauer Media and 4Music land new Peugeot campaign

The 13 week ‘Drivesexy' campaign, launched yesterday (15 March) in the UK, promotes Peugeot's latest small marque across media brands The Box, Smash Hits, Magic and Kiss. TV activity will feature 60 second promotions and 10 second blipverts running across Bauer Media/C4 TV channels Kiss, Magic, The Box, Smash Hits and 4Music. The six-figure-deal was brokered by Bauer Media and OMD, with all creative produced by Bauer Media's in-house TV division. Kate Sturdy, media and market research manager at Peugeot, said: "The Bauer Media/C4 activity, which includes 4Music Sunday's, compliments the targeting we began last year with Kiss FM and gives us a media presence to support our dealer network across the entire UK." Bauer Media claims 4Music is now the leading music channel in the UK. According to BARB, for the nine months to September 2008, 4Music achieved a 38% market share of music channel viewing in the UK.

Pink My Ride: Barbie Gets a Beetle for Her Birthday

To celebrate Barbie's 50th birthday, her friends at Volkswagen parked a custom-made Beetle full-size Dream Car in the driveway of her real-life 3,500-square-foot Dream House in (where else?) Malibu, California.
The already-cute subcompact was Barbified with a motorized vanity in the trunk, a rearview mirror adorned with rhinestones and a Barbie "ponytail" silhouette embroidered on the Katzkin leather seats. Of course, if it's a Barbie Dream Car, it's gotta be pink -- and this thing looks like the undercooked chicken at a Ponderosa restaurant. VW whipped five shades of pink paint into a custom blend for the exterior and covered the engine with what appears to be Pepto-Bismol.
We may never know if Barbie likes her new ride, because girls who look like her don't talk to automotive bloggers. Helping Barbie celebrate were Heidi Klum - that's her in the pic above - Lauren Conrad and a kouple of Kardashians. Sadly for us, they don't talk to automotive bloggers either. The New Beetle is the latest in a long line of Barbie Dream Cars. Our favorites include the Barbie Jeep and the Barbie Corvette (which, as kids, we always wanted to steal from our sisters and paint bright red). It's only fitting that a middle-aged Barbie get a retro remake of a '60s classic. We're glad to see her reducing her carbon footprint driving a smaller car.
Laura Soave, VW's marketing general manager, says Barbie wanted a VW because both she and the Beetle have "made a remarkable impact on pop culture history." We're glad to see that even at 50, Barbie hasn't gained any modesty.

Volvo campaign to include barcoded ads for quick response

Volvo is set to launch a pan-European advertising campaign for its C70 marque that will include print ads with a specially integrated QR (Quick Response) barcode. The Swedish car maker's Ice White campaign has been built around the theme "open up and come alive", and uses the print ads to provide readers with instant access to additional web content on their mobile.

Magazines included within the UK activity include Haymarket's What Car? and Autocar, and Dennis Publishing's Auto Express. The five-month campaign, planned by Mindshare's Invention group, launches next week (9 March) in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

There will also be online display and search activity, driving traffic to a microsite with information about the Volvo C70. In addition, banner ads and e-mail promotions will be served through an online affiliate program with the objective of generating a guaranteed number of leads.

Paul Walder, global marketing investment manager at Volvo Cars, said: "This is of course a rational, targeted approach, but also one that provides the best way to test and measure offer and media impact in terms of sales lead generation. 

"In addition, the QR code application provides a great way to enable consumers to move from an offline to an online environment, to really enhance their information-gathering efforts."

Nissan's electric cars will be 'mass market'

Nissan will launch electric cars in Europe next year with different business models in different countries. The fact that Europe is made up of so many nations makes a single electric vehicle business model unlikely, said Andy Palmer, newly appointed head of Renault-Nissan's global electric vehicle business unit. "The most likely solution is some form of leasing, but this will vary from region to region," Palmer told Automotive News Europe.

Palmer said Nissan and Renault were exploring options where both car and battery are leased, or where just the battery - which costs around $10,000 (about 8,000 euros) - is leased. Palmer added that the cost of an electric car "should not be significantly different" to today's cars once the battery is taken out of the equation. Palmer was reluctant to give sales targets but said that "tens of thousands" of electric cars would be seen in Europe under both Renault and Nissan brands. "If it was a niche, we wouldn't be doing it."

Different charging systems will suit different countries, Palmer said. "The UK has more garages, so overnight charging is the obvious solution. The other solution is the quick charge, where a car can be recharged in 20 to 30 minutes." Palmer said quick charging would not harm battery life. Nissan is counting on a recharge every day for an ownership period of up to 10 years. Nissan's electric vehicles are all designed around the substantial size of the 250kg battery module, Palmer said. "This is no more different than designing normal cars for petrol or diesel, right- or left-hand drive." Nissan's electric cars will be a mixture of standalone battery vehicles and adaptations of existing models. "Our development budgets have not been cut," said Palmer, who is also in charge of global LCV business for Nissan in Europe.

Renault moves toward build-to-order sales model

Renault is drastically rethinking its strategy for distributing new vehicles, Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata said. The carmaker is moving towards a system that relies more heavily on a "build-to-order" instead of a "build-to-stock" strategy. Dealers may have to wait a few weeks for new cars under the build-to-order system, but are able to set out the specifications they want, Pelata said. He added that the company's aim was to become more reactive and avoid having stocks of ageing vehicles. Pelata said Renault is aiming to go beyond its target of cutting stocks of unsold cars by between 800 million euros ($1 billion) and 1 billion this year. The company set the target last month, as it scrapped its key 2009 profit targets and dropped its dividend after posting a 78 percent drop in 2008 net profit.

Slovakia spends 33mn euros on car-scrapping subsidy

The Slovak government will pay drivers up to 1,500 euros to scrap cars over 10 years old and buy new vehicles under a 33 million euro ($41.74 million) plan.

Slovakia’s approval of the scheme came after news that car sales in Germany rose a fifth in February helped by government scrappage incentives.

Encouraged by a 2,500-euro bonus for scrapping cars older than nine years and tax changes that favor fuel-efficient models, Germans have been rushing to showrooms.

Registrations of new cars in Germany increased 21 percent to 278,000 units -- the best February sales in a decade -- and held out hope full-year sales could top 3 million units, the VDA industry association said.

Under the Slovakian government program, consumers and local businesses will get a subsidy of 1,000 or 1,500 euros to buy a car worth up to 25,000 euros.

"We've proposed that car dealers who do not co-finance will get 1,000 euros and those willing to give 500 euros from their budgets will get 1,500 euros from the state," Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek said.

Prime Minister Robert Fico said earlier this week that scrapping old cars was a useful measure to support consumption, and that it was also Slovakia's significant contribution to restarting the car industry.

The ministry aims to introduce the subsidy in the coming days in a scheme that mirrors steps taken in other countries to bolster struggling domestic car industries.

James Morrison to promote Fiat mini-MPV with online show

Fiat's new Qubo mini-MPV is sponsoring an online show by singer songwriter James Morrison.
The show, starting at 8pm tomorrow on a Qubo microsite hosted by MSN, will feature Morrison promoting the Qubo in an introductory video.
A separate promotional video of the new mini-MPV will also feature, along with a testimonial video by Qubo owners.
Morrison's never before released videos and exclusive performances will also be accessible on the site, plus free downloads will be offered to those registering their details.

Users will have the chance to win a Qubo for a year, as well as a test drive, signed James Morrison merchandise and tickets to his UK tour.

Fiat's campaign will also appear as a home page take-over on MSN's motoring, lifestyle and music sites for the duration of the day on Thursday.
Elena Bernardelli, marketing director at Fiat UK, said: "The Fiat Qubo online event will feature in customers' own homes, but with all the benefits of a real event, including music performances, testimonials, and goody bags to be "taken home".

"This is an amazing opportunity for us and our dealers to showcase our dedication to break the barriers, and lead by using a digital platform to promote our fantastic products like never before."

The Qubo microsite will remain open until the end of March.

Kia Shape Your Soul

Curb, an agency that focuses on "natural" advertising, has put together a campaign for Kia on street pavements. The work involves Kia messages and art being spray cleane into 750 dirty pavement sites across five major UK cities London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham. Each ad is spray cleaned using only natural rainwater and directs pedestrians to a microsite, shapeyoursoul.com. The executions are being placed in the dirtiest footfall areas in each city and last for two to three weeks before fading.The objective: promote the brand micro-site where you can win your very own Kia Soul.

Ford Fiesta Mouvement

In 2010, Ford will launch its Fiesta model in the US.

To create Word of Mouth within its target group, the manufacturer is relying on the power of collaborative social networks available on the Internet.
In April, 100 young Americans will be selected to try the Ford Fiesta during 6 months. Their mission? Relate their experiences and impressions on the car and its features (performance, comfort, speed and design).

All feedbacks will be placed in social networks such as Facebook, Flickr and Youtube.
To be selected, you need to create a video and become part of the Ford Fiesta Mouvement.

Ford offers more than 1.5 million music tracks on the web

You most likely you do not know the MaskedDummies: a social network created by Ford in Spain.
It is more than two years old and managed to gather 65,000 young brand enthusiasts, especially owners of Fiesta and Ka models.

This week, MaskDummies announced a somewhat revolutionary novelty on its platform: the KD Music - a catalog of more than 1.5 million tracks national and international artists (in streaming).

Members (registered on the site) have a special bonus: they can create their own playlists like on "Last FM" and "Deezer".

Click the image below to see how the process of Registration:

This initiative falls within the overall "Feel the Difference", with the objective of making the Ford brand more attractive and modern.

Toyota Future

Committed to become a greener brand by 2010, Toyota is looking for ways to meet the growing needs of society in ways that are less harmful to the Earth.
Their dedication to the sustainability extends from the creation and improvement of automotive technologies "eco-friendly." to new forms of communication used to disseminate its green essence.

A new communication tool is the Toyota - Future.com: an interactive portal that aggregates a range of content in the field of sustainability. Videos, presentations, documentaries and many other interactions are available at the Toyota-Future.com.

A half and full-banner were placed in the home wired.com, one of the leading online partner of the project.

Mitsubishi: to tie with Peugeot on electric cars

TOKYO, March 2 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Motors Corp said on Monday it will work with PSA Peugeot-Citroen on its new electric car, the i MiEV, aiming to sell the car in Europe from the end of 2010 or early 2011.

Peugeot will sell the car under its own brand, the company said in a statement. (Reporting by Sachi Izumi)

Toyota slows production

Toyota, the world's biggest auto maker, is forecasting that its global production output will fall by 12% in the next fiscal year, the lowest level in seven years, having previously predicted it will post its first net loss in 59 years in March. Alongside cutting its scheduled production totals from 7.1 million this year to 6.2 million for the year starting in April, the company predicts it will post an operating loss for the March year-end period.It is also said to have requested $2 billion (£1.4bn; €1.6bn) in loans from the government-supported Japan Bank for International Co-operation to provide funding for its corporate finance arm, Toyota Financial Services. The main issue motivating the move is thought to be the difficulties motor companies face in securing credit in the US, where total auto sales declined by over a third in January, having fallen by a similar level in Japan, and just over a quarter in Europe.

Daily Telegraph 'media-first' unveiled Citroen's new brand identity

Citroën marked its 90th birthday by unveiling a new corporate identity in the Daily Telegraph, promoted by an interactive advertising campaign created by readers.

In an attempt to convey the French car giant's foundations in "style, innovation and technology", the campaign required readers to fold specific pages of the quality newspaper to create Citroën's message and reveal its strapline ‘Creative Technology'

The print marketing campaign, exclusive to The Daily Telegraph, was designed by Omnicom's OMD, and was accompanied by ads in TV and full-page traditional colour ads in every national and Sunday newspaper.

In addition to what is being touted as a "media first" within The Daily Telegraph, there was corresponding digital ads on Telegraph.co.uk. Users of the website were able to click on a branded page peel, which rolls back to expose an origami-like fold-up of the web pages themselves and the new Citroën brand identity.

Ian Hughes, marketing director of Citroën UK, called the Telegraph execution "evidence of our reinvention" that allows the company to demonstrate "creative technologie".


Citroen Daily Telegraph Creative Technology
envoyé par Automotives

The smallest advergame ever

German agency Jung von Matt has joined forces with French web developer Mathieu 'P01' HENRI to produce the smallest advergame ever. It sits in 16*16 pixels or, better, in a favicon. The progject has been conceived to promote a very small car: the Smart fortwo.

As you can see from the video, banners have been placed on automotive sites to invite people to play. The idea is fun and definitely very creative.

Trendwatching: Eco-Bounty

While financial woes may hold back some green initiatives, the future has never looked greener. Mainly because creating a more sustainable economy is not an option, but a necessity. And we all know that necessity is the mother of invention. Which is why this month, amidst crumbling banks, G20 meetings and stimulus plans, Ttrendwatching highlights 12 eco sub-trends that any marketer or entrepreneur can act on today.

Click HERE for the full report

Tata Sets Minicar for March

MUMBAI -- Tata Motors Ltd. has set March 23 as the launch date for its 100,000-rupee ($2,005) minicar, about three months behind initial schedule after the auto maker had to relocate its factory late last year.
Bookings for the Nano, the world's cheapest passenger car, will begin in the second week of April, India's top-selling auto maker said. The booking process and other details will be announced at the time of launch, it added.
Tata Motors had originally planned to launch the Nano in the fourth quarter of 2008. But it had to relocate its factory in the eastern state of West Bengal in October following violent protests from a political party and farmer groups over the farmland taken over for the plant.
The auto maker -- which had invested about 15 billion rupees for the factory at Singur in West Bengal -- subsequently said it will invest about 20 billion rupees in a factory to produce the Nano in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
The new factory will have an initial capacity to produce 250,000 cars per year, which can be doubled at a later stage, Tata had said. However, the status of the new factory in Gujarat isn't currently known.