Silverpop Engage puts the "zoom-zoom" in Mazda's engagement marketing campaigns

The Company
Mazda. The name stands for uncompromising quality, outstanding value and an exhilarating driving experience.

Mazda has a targeted marketing strategy that includes email and direct mail with its "Handraisers"-individuals who express interest in receiving information about Mazda and its vehicles.

The Challenge
The highly competitive automotive industry requires marketers be able to rev up their campaigns from 0 to 60 in no time flat. Mazda steered interested consumers onto showroom floors through a series of special events and promotions, each accompanied with an email campaign. That process, however, ate up staff time and drained resources.

Additionally, the process failed to reach the marketplace in a timely manner and lacked the level of individualization achieved by more sophisticated campaigns. Mazda marketers realized they needed a better way to speed delivery of information to interested consumers. They wanted an engagement marketing program that would be flexible enough to communicate vehicle information about each of the company's 10 models, as well as provide a means to quickly and easily alter messages to meet the rapidly changing needs of a dynamic marketplace.

Also, because auto consumers generally want to review a number of makes and models during the buying process, Mazda needed to be able to send out multiple messages to the same recipient without duplicating vehicle information already received. Clearly, the company had to shift gears to better maneuver buyers through the selection process.

The Solution
Silverpop burned rubber with the drop of the green flag. First, the marketing technology provider designed and built HTML email creative that delivered a consistent Mazda-branded look while showcasing the attributes of each of the company's models.

Silverpop then developed an intricate dynamic content program that creates a personalized message that includes details about the specific vehicle the consumer wants to learn more about. Silverpop's dynamic content feature automatically replaces entire sections of a message, matching content to each recipient's unique requirements, interests and needs. Dynamic content offers a dual benefit: It dramatically increases relevance and builds deeper connections with customers while at the same time achieving a high degree of automation that produces significant cost savings.

The Results
The Handraiser marketing program helps drive Mazda enthusiasts through the purchase cycle. The program has been cruising along since May 2005 and has been picking up speed ever since. The email campaign exceeds average industry performance, with open rates averaging around 80 percent-or 18 percent higher than auto industry averages. Click-through rates are running well above 45 percent. The company estimates that nearly 3 percent of consumers who receive messages through its Handraiser program end up driving a new Mazda off the showroom floor. Mazda is now working to implement new engagement marketing programs that further utilize Silverpop's rich dynamic content capabilities.