Ride Over Everything
- Outdoor Recreation
- DeliverablesAdvertising, Architecture, Audience Identity, Content, Data & Analytics, Email Marketing, Endemic Media, Identity, Influencer Marketing, Mobile, Motion Studio, Positioning, Product Launch, Programmatic Media, Public Relations, SEO/SEM, Social Media, UX/UI, Websites
Ride Over Everything
Challenge
Off road drivers are one of the most passionate and demanding user groups around. They geek out on performance specs and live to put their machines to the test when it’s time to ride. For years, the eagerly awaited Wildcat XX was the subject of constant questions on social media and message boards. Some doubted that the “unicorn” of rumored off-road vehicles would ever see the light of day.
Solution
When it was finally ready to launch, we wanted every serious rider to know that the Wildcat XX was worth the wait. We didn’t just announce that it had arrived, we called out the doubters and showed them where it had been: putting the most advanced suspension system in the industry to the test in the most extreme environments. It’s a ride that’s built to conquer anything, for extreme drivers who put Ride Over Everything.
The Audience for Wildcat XX was Already There. And Not-So-Patiently Waiting.
Once we had a release date, we knew we had a big challenge on our hands. Wildcat XX had seen its fair share of chatter online and we needed a launch plan that would whet the appetite of skeptics — and ultimately turn them into believers. Our plan? Get out the map and put everyone in charge of taking XX everywhere.
Revving Up Our Audience
Our pre-launch microsite announced to the world XX had arrived — and it was ready to ride over everything. But with this audience, seeing is believing so we used email and social to promote our challenge and directed them to an immersive landing page where they could drop a pin where they wanted us to take it next. Little did they know, we weren’t just asking to be nice.
Once the news of XX was out, it was time to finally let the cat out as well.
A Launch That Was Loud and Clear
When the time had come, every tactic in our campaign needed to shout the arrival of Wildcat XX. Display ads did their job with impressive imagery and dynamic animations.
The Perfect Content Roadmap
After we secretly took Wildcat XX to our audience's suggested destinations, we created a launch video that didn’t just announce that XX had arrived — it made clear everything it could do.
Challenge Accepted
What better place to tell the story of where XX had been than the social platforms where the conversation had begun? We responded directly to those who had suggested locations by tagging them in our posts and creating videos personalized just for them. One by one, we proved XX could rise to every challenge and ride over everything.
Wildcat XX had a ride like no other. And we had to prove it long before anyone could actually drive it.
XX Marks the Spot for Immersive Content
After the official launch, our microsite transformed into a robust product showcase. The engineering feats giving Wildcat XX its superior ride were detailed in dynamic fashion, while engaging animations allowed users to get to know the vehicle inside and out.
Extreme off roaders tend to be gearheads. And Textron Off Road was going up against industry titans with horsepower numbers that jumped off the spec sheet. To prove that there’s more to a great ride than horsepower, our microsite took our audience “Inside the Ride,” with a video series detailing how XX outperformed anything else.
To strengthen our case even further, we called in an expert and dug deeper than ever before. Our microsite included a video walk-around from off-road racing legend Robby Gordon that lent the vehicle’s engineering even more credibility. And a dedicated product video took the information typically found on a spec sheet, gave it context, and showed the Wildcat XX in all its glory.
Wildcat XX could conquer any obstacle, and our campaign was just as unrelenting.
Any Terrain, Every Tactic
Working across platforms, we took every possible route to move our audience to action — and print proved the perfect canvas for showcasing Wildcat XX in all its glory. Heroic photography reinforced the vehicle's capabilities, while our campaign mantra kept driving home the vehicle's advantages.
Our quest for total social feed domination continued with dedicated content, showing Wildcat XX conquering different obstacles while keeping the campaign's momentum going strong.
A product story this big needs room to breathe. Collateral provided the real estate to tell the full details of Wildcat XX and how it was unlike any side-by-side before it.
Driving our audience to dealers was the goal of our campaign. Once there, we created impactful point-of-sale materials to reinforce the selling points of Wildcat XX at every touchpoint.
Putting Media Behind the Wheel
We engaged the press with a dedicated event that showcased Textron sister brand Bell helicopter, provided VIP access to the storied King of the Hammers race and put editors through their paces on a purpose-built trail riding experience that showed off XX’s unique capabilities. This hands-on experience no doubt contributed to XX winning UTV of the Year honors from UTV Action and ATV.com.
When the audience is this hungry, you have to deliver. Wildcat XX did, and so did our campaign.
This is What You Call a Victory Lap
When you combine a game-changing product with the hard work of Swanson Russell, you can truly Ride Over Everything. Silencing skeptics and proving itself well worth the wait, the Wildcat XX posted the highest first-three-month retail success rate of any launch in the brand’s history. With such a robust campaign, there are dozens of data points that could be used to show its success including:
Video Views
Microsite Engagement Range
Media Views
Email Recipients Noted High Interest in Purchase
Total Email Conversion Rate
Separate Articles Written as a Result of PR Efforts
