Houston's Rising Stars: The Shabana Motors Life on Drive initiative
Shabana Motors, a used car dealership in Houston, Texas, faced a challenging situation as the tax season approached in January 2023. Their primary focus was on helping customers with little or no credit, and they recognized the need to boost car sales during this critical period. Additionally, the company aimed to engage with the local community and support emerging local artists by providing them with a platform to showcase their talent. This presented a dual challenge of increasing car sales while also building a connection with their target audience. To achieve these goals, Shabana Motors launched the "Houston Rising Stars" campaign, which ran from October 2022 through December 2022. The campaign aimed to align with the target audience's interests while supporting local artists and driving car sales at the start of the new year.
Shabana Motors had two primary objectives. First, they aimed to increase car sales during the tax season kick-off, specifically in January 2023. Second, they aimed to engage with their target audience by providing a platform for emerging local artists to showcase their talent.
Strategies/Tactics: Shabana Motors developed a media strategy that focused on deploying campaigns on social media networks and YouTube to reach its target audience. The company also developed a creative strategy that aligned with its target audience's preferences of Hip Hop music. By commissioning local rappers to create original songs that referenced Shabana Motors in their lyrics.
To achieve its objectives, Shabana Motors deployed the following tactics:
Collaborating with local artists to create original songs that referenced Shabana Motors in their lyrics
Producing a video featuring the artists performing the songs in Shabana Motors' dealership
Sharing the video on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube, to promote the songs and engage with the target audience
Providing financing options for customers with little or no credit to purchase a car at Shabana Motors
The creative message aligned with the target audience's preferences and supported the campaign's objectives. The rap songs referenced Shabana Motors, highlighting the company's commitment to empowering the local community. The videos featuring local artists in the dealership provided an authentic representation of the community and created a personal connection with the target audience.
The Houston Rising Stars campaign generated impressive results. Shabana Motors decreased advertising spend by 12% and generated 29% more website traffic during the campaign period. In January 2023, the company sold 31% more cars than the year before. The collaboration with local artists was successful in engaging the target audience and increasing video plays by 321% and watch time by 212%. The campaign provided Shabana Motors with a unique opportunity to support local talent while achieving its business objectives. The success of the campaign demonstrates the effectiveness of combining creativity and community engagement to generate meaningful results.