OREANDA-NEWS. Changan Ford recently defeated FAW-Audi, Infiniti, SGM and many other auto brands at the 22nd Greater China Effie Awards Show, winning the gold Effie Integrated Marketing Award for their work on the Ford Escort campaign. The joint work contributed by the MSS and PA teams to the wildly successful campaign earned them this well-deserved honor in the auto industry. They also took home the silver Effie Award in the online short communications category with their “Let’s Go Live a New Modern Family Life” campaign.

The Effie Awards, founded in 1968 by the New York American Marketing Association, honors the most effective advertising efforts in the marketing and communication industry. The awards not only evaluate the effectiveness of an advertising campaign, but also test agency creativeness and their ability to execute. The Effie Awards recognize and honor the most outstanding marketing activities that contribute to the success of a brand, and are viewed as the most important award in the industry.

Changan Ford’s new Escort launched its integrated campaign with a series of marketing activities, including a microfilms competition, a WeChat moments campaign, a Madagascar (Film) Entertainment Marketing campaign, a “one-take” television commercial, as well as “family day” activities that took place in various cities.

Changan Ford’s Escort launch campaign resonated very well with target consumers, elevating product awareness and overall impression. Through full-scale communication, Changan Ford’s goal for the Escort campaign launch period was well exceeded. Baidu index, media influence and social network fans expanded by over 200%, while online buzz, website traffic and leads increased by more than 300%.

Changan Ford’s Escort launch campaign successfully communicated the brand’s position as the best new family car in China. Monthly sales of the Escort ranked second in the C-class midsize vehicle category this March, and topped the list a month later. In Q1 2015, the Escort garnered the most interest in its category in the Chinese market.

After its launch, Changan Ford Escort released a series of online events as part of their “Let's Go Live a New Modern Life” campaign. The campaign helped to build the concept of the new modern family life style, and the Escort’s place within it. Based on the habits of the target audience, the campaign focused on new media techniques, such as H5, and designed creative content mixed with hot topics and trends. This technique achieved impressive communication results and generated lots of buzz via social media networks.

The Effie awards not only signify a successful campaign from Changan Ford, but also underpin the improvements it continues to make to its products. Following the “1515” plan, Changan Ford’s sales volume in 2015 is expected to be triple the figure achieved in 2010, with market share also expected to increase from 2.84% to 4.35% over that same period. Additionally, sales volume among joint-venture auto companies also elevated from No. 9 in late 2009 to No. 6 in August 2015.