RENAULT

Lead Agency

OMD

KADJAR COMPANION APP

The Challenge

With the launch of the Renault KADJAR crossover vehicle, Renault wanted to strengthen their relationship with drivers and drive accessory sales within uran emerging markets.

We saw an opportunity to exploit a disconnect, in those particular markets, between owners of off-road vehicles and enthusiasts.

If we could instil a passion and enthusiasm for off-roading in new KADJAR owners, then they would maximize the potential of their new cars and deepen their relationship with Renault.

Meanwhile, we hypothesised that drivers who were more engaged with their car and enjoying new, off-road experiences, would be more inclined to purchase accessories as a result.

The Strategy

We developed a three pillar strategy around inspiration, empowerment and convenience. By aligning our strategy with Renault KADJAR motto “Dare to do more” we designed and created a car companion app that would challenge drivers to conquer new terrains, from desert dunes to mountain tracks, in their new Renault KADJAR. Whilst we decided to rewrite the manual so to speak,
by taking all the useful information that owners never read and repackaging it in the app as exciting, highly visual guides that would help drivers learn about their car’s features as well as teaching them how to maintain and use it.

The first pillar of the strategy was to test the driver’s ability to the limit by including off-road guides that challenged them to explore uncharted territory and new horizons. We did this by supplying owners with interactive guides to off-road driving. We shed light on the amazing features of their new vehicles and gave them the impetus to create their own adventures. Drivers could record these adventures and share them with other owners via an in-app social hub; the ‘Be Inspired’ social community. While reinforcing the connection between the brand and its community of drivers we were confident the social hub would develop an extra layer of trust for drivers through the testimony and content generated by other users.

The second pillar was about empowerment: giving drivers everything they need to get to know their Renault KADJAR through simple set-up tutorials, and teaching them how to maintain and fix it with basic maintenance and quick-fix video guides. By providing step-by-step user instructions the idea was to give drivers the confidence to push themselves further, while always
making sure they had the safety net of 24/7 emergency assistance to overcome any setbacks.

The final pillar focused on convenience. We designed a quick and simple m-commerce platform for drivers to browse and order accessories via the app. Furthermore we packaged those accessories as tools to meet our specific challenges, so drivers would know immediately what gear they needed for every challenge. The m-commerce functionality closed the loop of a 360 degree
strategy, from increasing brand satisfaction to creating loyal customers.

The Implementation

The Renault KADJAR mobile app was designed for people located in French Overseas Departments, for example Morocco and Algeria, totaling around 10 markets. To make the app available to a maximum number of users, the
content was created in both French and English.

The app build and development was over three and a half months between July and November 2015 by a team of strategists, designers, copywriters developers and testers. Considering the amount of content creation and development necessary for the app over a very short amount of time, the implementation process was divided into three different key phases.

The first phase was dedicated to designing the app, creating the assets and creating the user experience. We worked closely with Renault to maintain brand guidelines and create high-quality, enticing assets. By integrating
mobile native functionalities such as location based capabilities and quick-to-call features, we created an intuitive and very rich user journey providing drivers with a best-in-class mobile experience. We reinvented the hard copy
manual into something digestible and adapted to mobile behaviour; cutting long video tutorials and dividing them into step-by-step video clip tutorials to help maintain the user’s attention and follow the instructions.

The second stage consisted of technical development, from the back end to the server side, the Content Management System and development of both iOS and Android operating systems. Mobile5 put its technical
expertise at the service of Renault to ensure a seamless technical procedure along the way while maintaining consistency in execution between iOS and Android.

The last phase was testing which involved a client Q&A to guarantee a faultless product launch. The Renault KADJAR app was successfully launched on Google Play and the App Store in the first week of November

The Result

The app has only been available for a couple of months but initial feedback has been really positive, particularly around the usefulness of off-road guides and quick-fix tutorials. When drivers, who have never changed a wheel before, are fixing punctures themselves by following an app – you know you are
on to something.

Since the launch of the app, the number of registered users has increased by 45% month over month, and the average session time is now close to 10 minutes, which is twice as long as the market average app session length, published by Localytics.

Social hub activity has followed the same trends, with more and more pictures and videos shared by users on a regular basis.

Another measure of the success of the app comes from the number of people who have downloaded it that don’t actually own a KADJAR vehicle themselves but who use the app to help them maintain their own Renault vehicle.

Mobile5 has helped Renault develop a first-of-its-kind product to connect with existing and potential customers and is now working on expanding this solution to all of Renault’s new vehicles. This is a great example of how mobile technology can improve consumer experience and help the automotive industry achieve its business objectives.