2024 Bronze Automotive

Agency: VML UK

Client: Lexus

Entry Title: The Lexus Golf DM

Executive Summary

A campaign to reward Lexus’s most loyal customers and drive advocacy was so effective it hit 100% response and drove incremental sales.

Strategy

The UK automotive landscape is shifting. Consumer loyalty is fading. Well-equipped and competitively priced vehicles from new manufacturers mean there’s more choice for a shrinking pool of in-market prospects. Private sale registrations have been dropping consistently since late 2023, with a 15% drop from May to June alone.

I's tougher than ever for automotive brands to convince their customers to buy new. And when buyers are in the market, 79% are open to switching brands. Lexus had to think outside the box and find a truly customer-centric approach in keeping the base loyal. The team researched its owners, and found customers are golf mad. This provided the perfect opportunity to prove how much the brand valued customers, and ensure it remained front of mind.

Creativity

To keep customers loyal and feeling valued, Lexus needed to reinforce a deeper personal connection. It created Lexus Club Days - tailored golf experiences at some of the UK’s best golfing venues. The team found the biggest golf enthusiasts. Then, using data modelling, it built a 360-degree view that considered customer, vehicle and service data to apply a scoring system that identified not just most loyal customers, but also those who were most likely to be in a repurchase window.

The team couriered an invite to our customers that, once opened, rolled out a putting green carpet complete with golf ball. The perfect practice piece for the golf mad customer. RSVPs were registered via dedicated landing pages and accompanied with concierge calls that gave an opportunity to answer any questions but also ensure the personal treatment really landed. These customers were invited to a series of exclusive events, held at prestigious golf courses across the UK. Guests were treated to a round with expert advice, surrounded by a display of the latest Lexus models.

Results

The Lexus Club Days campaign achieved an unprecedented 100% response rate to the direct mail invitations. This overwhelming engagement translated into a memorable and impactful experience for Lexus’s most valued customers. Beyond the immediate positive sentiment, the campaign led customers to test driving the latest models and, in total, 78 Lexus cars have been purchased or ordered to date.

This success is thanks to effective data strategy, using a combination of handraisers and modelling to ensure Lexus could confidently target the audience who would be most engaged with this activity. Creative execution also counted: the invite was key to surprise and delight. It was crafted to drive maximum engagement with the added benefit of a longer-term leave-behind for brand presence. Finally the journey was key: from the initial emails to a DM with a QR code linking directly to a personalised landing page, followed by a concierge call and post event comms. It ensured a seamlessly connected experience that would be expected of a premium brand like Lexus.

The Team

VML UK - Charlie Taylor, Business Director - Rachel Finch, Senior Account Manager - Phil Siegle, Creative Director - Satvir Mundi, Data Strategy Director - Shani Anderson, Data Strategy Manager - Dan Tendler, Strategy Director - Danielle D'Cruz, Senior Strategist - Chris Jones, Senior Art Director - Kell Lunam-Cowan, Senior Copywriter - Matt Young, Copywriter - Rob Joyner, Lead Designer - Dee Harrop, Senior

Lexus - Paul Clarke, Customer Relationship Marketing Manager - Scott Bassage, Experiential Manager - Nikki Atkinson, Specialist, Events & Sponsorship - Shuaib Ghaffar, Specialist, Events & Sponsorship - Kyle Bipin, Assistant, CRM