Young people are vital to mobile phone companies. They not only present an active market, but winning them over early on means they could well be customers for life.

With this firmly in mind, communications giant Motorola took its roving MotoFunkTour on the road – a five-month experiential spree targeting a young audience. For this campaign, the types of venues used at each tour stop were vital for reaching the right consumer, as well as complementing the message that Motorola wanted to get across.

“In each city, the MotoFunkTour visited the most appropriate ‘funky’ places to engage the audience with the Motorola brand as effectively as possible,” says Andrew Haigh, Motorola global account director at MICE International, which developed the roadshow.

In fact, MICE devised a campaign that used venues to specifically reach and connect with three distinct demographic groups that made up Motorola’s key target youth audience. They included:

• Skate parks and skateboard competitions to target 15 to 20-year-olds
• Bars and cafés to target those in their late-teens and early 20s
• Business enterprise parks to target young professionals

“During the five month-long campaign, thousands of young people from the target groups were immersed in the Motorola brand at each venue,” explains Haigh. “A comprehensive research programme was put in place by Motorola to evaluate the project and measure the immediate impact of the MotoFunkTour on this audience – as well as its long-term influence, to test for any lasting effects.”

The results of the research demonstrated that the tour had worked, and the experiences had changed young people’s perceptions about Motorola mobile devices. Not only did the campaign have a significantly positive impact on the target audience’s future purchase decisions, but it also induced “vastly improved” attitudes towards the Motorola brand.

The key research findings from those who experienced the MotoFunkTour make impressive reading:

• 69% found Motorola mobiles “funky” to use
• 80% said they would consider buying a Motorola handset or accessory
• 47% said quality came to mind when they thought of Motorola
• 37% said innovation came to mind when they thought of Motorola
• 59% were aware the new Motorola E398 was available and 25% rated it as “great”
• 47% rated the mobile design as “spectacular”
• Ease of product use perception increased by 500%
• 90% rated the experience “cool”
• 54% said the brand presented itself in an interesting way

“Overall, the application of Motorola’s brand marketing into the interactive, experience-based activities of the MotoFunkTour helped the company to redefine its ‘go-to-market’ strategy, encompassing a new and effective method of reaching and engaging this new market segment,” concludes Haigh.