Renault says it's time to change

In an ever-more competitive market for car manufacturers, Renault's campaign for the new Megane attempts to make consumers change their long-held preferences when shopping for a new car.

Renault is not the only car manufacturer to up its marketing activity in recent months.

Audi, as previously featured, has decided to raise awareness of the new Q5 by suggesting that it is "redefining the box", while VW's campaign for the new Golf boasts that the car-makers only have to beat themselves, as they are so far ahead of the competition.

The new Renault campaign features a man recalling all the things he said he would never do, but subsequently went on and did, such as kissing a girl and wanting children.

The ad finishes with a shot of the new Renault Megane as the narrator notes: "Remember when you said you'd never buy a Renault?", followed by the tagline: "It's time to change".

Unfortunately for Renault, there has been a backlash on the internet, with some viewers complaining that they find the ads patronising, with particular reference to the central character changing his mind about not wanting children.

However, despite the online dissenters, Renault has complemented this ad with similar campaigns for other Renault models, such as the Laguna, suggesting the company believes its marketing campaign is working. So, what do Renault's BrandIndex scores look like?

Following the first airing of the campaign on 21 November, the buzz score for the brand increased three points to +5 by 1 December.

In addition, the value for money scores and the corporate scores for Renault increased by two points and four points respectively during the same period, with the corporate scores for the brand peaking at +14 on 1 December.

As Renault continues to challenge consumers' existing attitudes towards its products, the company is attempting to position itself as a real contender in the car market.

However, with such weak trading given the dramatic decline in the number of buyers for new vehicles, Renault may have to do more than just suggest it is time for a change.

Methodology: YouGov interviews 2,000 people each weekday to form its BrandIndex, a daily measure of public perception of more than 1,100 consumer brands across 32 sectors. It is measured on a seven-point profile:
1 Buzz
2 General impression
3 Quality
4 Value
5 Satisfaction
6 Recommend
7 Corporate reputation.
In addition, we supply an index score.

Richard Wood
www.brandindex.co.uk

This article was first published on Media Week