Amplified Journeys. An integrated communications campaign aimed at both consumers and motor manufacturers. Initially running just in the UK, the online element achieved global recognition and awards.
Objective
Remind consumers that professional and home audio experts Harman Kardon (HK) are behind the sound in top automotive marques. (HK kit is factory fitted within all Range Rovers, therefore consumers are not making an active brand choice). Continue to build the brand’s relationship with a number of top auto manufacturers where a premium HK system is a factory option.
Strategy
Get consumers to interact with the HK brand, aiming primarily at the music-loving Range Rover & Mercedes purchaser. We set out to celebrate the unique relationship keen drivers have with music and explored the excitement of the sound-tracked road trip. Our audience, while happy to spend hours compiling a Clash mix tape on a C90 in their youth, now wanted a quick solution with the same quality their home cinema systems delivered – but on the road. We set out to show that Harman Kardon understood not just the technology but the emotion of fast cars & loud music.
Method deployed
We created a campaign theme – Amplified Journeys. This was expanded in a series of advertorials in TopGear magazine, retracing classic music themed drives. We hosted press dinners in driving-themed locations (e.g. Bluebird Club), where a musician (e.g. Alex James) would talk about the music he listened to whilst on the road. A series of windows were taken over at Harrod’s where the system’s audio visual capabilities were demonstrated in a Range Rover and a soundroom.
Finally a unique mash-up application www.amplifiedjourneys.hk was launched that allowed users to plan routes and find playlists specific to genre or mood, set to the exact journey time. Bands, songs or album titles generated were related to points of interest or events along the route plotted. Every search could be edited and refined and the results shared, printed or downloaded to iTunes to purchase.
Category specific information
In its capacity as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Harman Kardon has no product as such to sell directly to the consumer. Being a part of the car, the brand lacked an individual warmth or even recognition of existence. Any marketing activity for an OEM has to also create reassurances to the car manufacturer that specifying Harman Kardon adds value in a consumer’s mind.
Creativity / Innovation
Each aspect of the Amplified Journeys campaign was intrinsically owned by the Harman Kardon brand.
We were very proud of mashing up music discovery with navigation. On an extremely tight development budget amplifiedjourneys.hk uses open APIs and free databases. A community feature and registered user function are in the next release. Subscription databases i.e. Gracenote music & NavTeq mapping are being considered for an American version.
Outcome
AmplifiedJourneys.hk = average dwell time on site 4.41** minutes
3.86** pages per visit
5.86%** Goal conversion rate (email/download/print playlist)
4.6% of all visitors downloaded a playlist (**Google Analytics)
Over 10,000 entries to our music and driving survey on TopGear.com
Outstanding press reaction with an estimated advertising value of £80,000+ from 26 items providing a total circulation of 24,624,961. (Focus PR audit)
“..a new form of automotive music integration has been born, welcome to the future..” MSN (UK)
“..a brilliant way to expand your musical boundaries!..” What Car?
“..this is awesome, one of those ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ kind of applications” Autotraveller (US)
“..creates perfect playlists..” ChipChick.com
“..like a music lover’s Google Maps..” iGizmo
“..it takes the work out of planning tunes for a long journey..” AutoExpress
“..quick, easy and free..” News of The World
The buzz around AmplifiedJourneys.hk led to significant presentations with two premium automotive brands about bespoke versions of the application.
“Amplified Journeys is hugely accessible and confirms our music and driving credentials in a fantastically infectious way.”
Tony Harberman – Director of Sales ROE, Harman International Automotive Division
