Jaguar Cars North America has started fulfillment of a mailer that is central to the second phase of an integrated advertising campaign begun last April for its 2004 X-Type model.
The piece, called “Secret Envelope,” features prominently in Jaguar's “Tunnel” 30-second television commercial. With a “Confidential” sticker on the envelope, the piece is a dossier with product information to handraisers responding to the print and TV campaign.
“The idea is to generate awareness and qualified leads to drive incremental X-Type sales,” said Jeff Browe, vice president and account director at Jaguar agency Wunderman, Irvine, CA. “Our task was to reveal the inner attributes and technologies of the X-Type. Our shop wanted to inject the brand with more personality to increase brand consideration.”
The current campaign started Feb. 2 with TV, print, outdoor and interactive. Mail followed in March. Jaguar introduced its new brand tagline for the X-Type, “Born with, Lives for,” an extension of “Born to Perform” for last year. The “Born with” line emphasizes the X-Type's technology and performance credentials, and “Lives for” describes the driving moments.
Equally important was a pricing realignment as the Ford Motor Co.-owned automaker targeted consumers ages 18-34, a younger-skewed audience for Jaguar. The 3-liter V6 model, for instance, was reduced on an equipment-adjusted basis by $4,600 to $34,395. The Sports model was lowered to $33,995, and the 2.5-liter entry model continues to sell for $29,995.
The car comes with a lot of bells and whistles for its price range. But competition from others meant that Jaguar had to inject more mystery into the marketing to generate interest.
Specifically, the fulfillment piece builds on the intrigue of the TV spot, leaving the viewer to wonder what the hero was carrying in the envelope.
The spot has a man get into an X-Type with the envelope and drive off aggressively. It shows the Jaguar enter a mountain tunnel. The scene cuts to the tunnel's exit, where the viewer sees police cars leaving. The Jaguar is nowhere to be seen.
In one of the final frames, the Jaguar is shown clinging to the tunnel ceiling. Then comes the tagline: “Lives for supernatural grip.” The jaguarusa.com address and phone number appears, too.
Wunderman extended that spunk to its mail creation. The “Secret Envelope” has information on the X-Type as if the car were an FBI suspect on the “Most Wanted” list. There is even a file number on the dossier, with “Classified” stamped on the inside.
An interesting element is the clipping of a small note to the dossier. It has “To,” “From” and “Subject” fields.
And then there are a few lines: “The following intelligence has been gathered due to recent developments regarding the primary target: X-Type. It will prove beneficial as a source of background information on this world-class luxury sedan. For full disclosure, maximum coordination between you and your Jaguar retailer is of utmost importance.”
The next paragraph continues: “Dial this number to locate your nearest Jaguar retailer: 1-800-4-JAGUAR and select option 2, or for more intrigue, visit jaguarusa.com/thechase.”
In a further qualifying measure, Jaguar uses a business reply card to seek more information from responders. This way it can communicate again with the consumers when they are at a different stage in the purchase funnel. The multi-step re-contact initiative is based on the consumers' in-market timing.
The black-and-white theme around the direct marketing material accentuates the cloak-and-dagger intent, too.
For example, the business reply card is headlined, “X-Type Confidential: The story continues.” Copy reads, “Where will the next adventure take you? Reveal your information and you will be cleared to receive ours. Please fill out this reply card.”
Jaguar also will use the “Secret Envelope” package to target an acquisition direct mail audience likely to consider the X-Type.
“We strongly feel that the X-Type campaign brings integration to the next level for us,” said Melissa Grady, relationship marketing manager at Jaguar, Irvine, CA.
“We've moved beyond shared strategy and look/feel into a continuation of the journey for the customer,” she said. “They can become ensconced in the campaign at a variety of levels. They can choose how involved they want to be.”
