Founded in 1862 and with a rich German heritage, Opel is one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world and one of the largest in Europe. Currently owned by the French PSA group which also includes the brands Citroën and Peugeot.
Despite of being a reputable car manufacturer, Opel had been losing market share in Denmark. The brand had an image problem – Danish consumers perceived it as dull and boring. To cope with these market challenges, our task was to revitalise the Opel brand with a new campaign tailored to change the image perception and boost sales.
In order to successfully reposition Opel in Denmark, a key element to uncover was how the brand was currently perceived. From our extensive consumer survey with more than 3.000 respondents, we found that the German heritage was unknown to a large part of the target audience, but something that would increase quality perception. However, the German heritage was for Opel also perceived as traditional, rational and boring. Therefore, we needed to find a way to make the qualities of German heritage interesting.
To turn the traditional and reliable brand values into something interesting, we developed a campaign concept with the tagline: “Not everyone is sensible enough for an Opel,” which was a way of praising all the considerate and clever Opel owners. To unfold the new concept, we wanted a well-known spokesperson who could represent the exact opposite qualities linked to the Opel brand.
Nicklas Bendtner is a professional football player for such teams as Arsenal, Juventus, Wolfsburg, FC Copenhagen and the Danish National team. Equally known for his appearances on and off the pitch, he is loved and hated by the Danish media and public. With his charm and cocky appearance, he represented the exact opposite of what the Opel brand resembled, making him the perfect fit for a campaign that would incorporate the strong Danish tradition of irony and humour.
The campaign was very well received by the Danish news media and public and immediately went viral due to its humorous and unpretentious style of communication. Both of these elements were very different from the usual communication carried out by international car manufacturers – and in particular, by Opel. The video received more than 100.000 views and more than 1.500 comments during the first three days of being live.
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