Charity Marketing for Motability

Project objectives
In early 2007, Brilliant was awarded the contract to work with Motability after winning a five-way pitch. The brief was to provide creative solutions for forthcoming literature that would develop the Motability brand and move key messaging forward across all of Motability’s marketing collateral. The aim was to increase both awareness of the scheme and application figures.

Our approach
Analysis of Motability’s previous literature revealed the need for stricter adherence to its existing brand guidelines, which had been diluted and become inconsistent over time. In addition, a fresh visual approach was required to ensure key messages were communicated more effectively, as the current literature’s miscommunication had resulted in a stagnation in both enquires and responses to promotions. Brilliant recognised that while the core marketing objectives for the company were sound, Motability needed to achieve better national awareness of its ability to provide scooters, powered wheelchairs and Wheel Chair Adapted vehicles (WAV) as well as the better known facility of providing cars.

Our first step was to clearly redefine the brand and the key messages Motability wanted to promote, to ensure a consistent messaging, look and feel for the organisation moving forward. We then developed two complementary concepts; one aimed at getting Motability’s customers to identify themselves; the second at raising the profile of the service that Motability offers. As part of the first concept, close-up photographs of faces were used to represent a cross section of people who benefit from the Scheme. The second concept used a composite image comprising a car, a scooter, a powered wheelchair and WAV to illustrate clearly the kind of products available through the Scheme.

The results As part of the awareness campaign, Motability mailed over 1.3 million eligible non-customers with a new style information leaflet. This made an immediate impact and helped drive up applications to join the Scheme:

January 2008 saw a record 21,837 applications to the Motability Scheme, beating the previous record of 18,155 applications in July ’07 (prior to the launch of any redeveloped materials).
January 2008 recorded an applications increase of 20.5% compared to January 2007.
Over 19,500 applications were received in February 2008 resulting in the second highest month on record behind January.

In addition to the direct marketing campaign, Brilliant has also provided advertising, report and accounts documentation design and general marketing and creative design support.