TVS Motor Company transformed its audience and brand awareness through a collaboration with the video game Asphalt Airborne 8, bringing real-world racing to a virtual domain.
Objective
TVS Motor Company, the maker of the sport bike TVS Apache RR310, embarked on a transformative journey to expand its core target audience, particularly with gaming enthusiasts. The primary focus was to bolster brand awareness through a groundbreaking integration with the video game Asphalt Airborne 8, bringing real-world racing to the virtual gaming domain.
An equally critical objective was to build a captivating off-bike engagement platform, embracing the trend of immersive digital experiences to engage diverse audiences worldwide. Additionally, the company's long-term strategy aimed to establish a robust corporate presence and reach new global markets.
TVS sought to capture audiences early on, fostering brand salience as they approached the purchase stage and legal age of driving.
Context
TVS and Gameloft collaborated with the introduction of the Apache RR310 in Gameloft's Asphalt 8 Airborne series in December of 2022. Earlier in the year, TVS had reached out to the audience segment through simulator-enabled integrations in on-ground gaming activations. However, the scalability with high-investment simulators was low.
The launch of the campaign in 2022 was carried out via digital media channels in the form of teasers and launch films announcing the collaboration. The campaign was further amplified by collaborative content with popular gaming influencers across India to drive awareness about the initiative within the gaming community.
Target Audience
TVS focused on a primary and secondary audience.
Creative and Media Strategy
The creative and media strategy focused primarily on communicating with the secondary audience on platforms they were most present while also taking the opportunity to introduce the primary audience to gaming platforms. TVS hoped that this approach would lead to increased brand affinity and engagement.
The challenge of scalability needed to be addressed through mass media to optimize the cost per contact among the audience. With the change in media consumption habits amongst generation Z, digital was the most efficient media to achieve this objective. Online and application-based gaming technology laid the foundation of this campaign. It was launched in line with the marketing strategy, which was to reach out to high-affinity audiences with high purchase intent. This technology enabled the filtering of audiences who had a high affinity with gaming as well as racing which was otherwise hard to filter and target offline.
The use of in-game promotions through branding, activations, and limited offers helped add momentum to other promotions through digital and social media.
The online campaign launched on social platforms creating awareness pre-launch of the TVS Apache
RR310 in Asphalt Airborne 8. Upon launch, tutorial videos were promoted among an audience that had been exposed to the integration announcement online, followed by calls to action inciting the audience to play. Gaming influencers were engaged to reach the core gaming audience through live streams of the game. Further, on-ground activations at college campuses helped provide a platform for the community to experience the game.
A pivotal objective involved creating a platform for off-bike engagement, successfully executed through strategic brand integrations in on-ground activations at malls, college campuses, and IT parks. These immersive engagements allowed audiences to virtually experience and deeply engage with the TVS Apache RR310, forging stronger connections with the brand.
The long-term strategic objective centered on entering newer geographies. This was achieved through the game's play in non-core markets. This expansion bolstered brand visibility not just within India but also globally, establishing a strong foundation for future international market penetration.
Lastly, the campaign successfully strengthened the brand's racing imagery, with a notable 10 percent growth in the click-through rate (CTR) of display campaigns among the audience cohort interested in racing. This achievement solidified the TVS Apache RR310's association with speed, adrenaline, and precision.
