Supreme winner of the NZ Marketing Awards in 2022, Turners is back in the winners’ enclosure as the hugely popular Tina from Turners campaign celebrates three years.
The irrepressible Tina from Turners character has transformed the brand she represents, changing the perception that buying a used car is a hassle and selling one is even worse.
Turners Group had been around for 54 years when it decided it was time for a change.
The business wanted to reinvent itself – and increase profit margin – by shifting its wholesale auction model to
a retail dealership style.
To do that, Turners needed more vehicles to sell, and with Covid and Clean Car regulations affecting supply lines, what better source than the public?
Despite having 20 branches across the country – and the brand awareness – Turners wasn’t top of mind for car owners looking to sell. Plus, Kiwis like to do it themselves on forums such as Trade Me, believing they’ll get a bargain and avoid the ‘dodgy used car salesman’.
Sometimes, a campaign’s success lies in what it doesn’t do. Turners’ trick was using a female character to get people thinking about selling their car, rather than buying one.
And Tina – played by actress and comedian Sieni Leo’o Olo aka “Bubbah” – personified the idea the process would be straightforward, even fun. She trained a spotlight on Turners’ customer offering, experience and brand as a whole.
“We love buying cars” and Tina from Turners became synonymous.
Tina was a phenomenon from the get-go, winning the Colmar Brunton May 2021 Ad Impact Award, and the character is now firmly embedded in the public consciousness. The campaign’s production and media budget has increased by 250% over three years.
The sad death of music legend Tina Turner in May 2023 underlined the character’s cultural impact – Turners’ contact centre and social pages were inundated with concerned people. Media ran (non-sponsored) reassurance messages that Tina from Turners was not dead: proof the character has generated fame for the brand as well as ticking all the objectives set out.
Over the three years, Turners has recorded 116% more leads (total), bought 130% more cars and sold 31% more cars to the public. The now 57-year-old company also more than doubled its profit (+122%).
And life is better for customers, too. They used to visit an average of nine dealerships. Two research sources suggested that’s dropped to 1.4 dealerships plus a private seller.
Tina fans will be pleased to know she’ll be around for years to come.
This was first published in the 2024 September-October NZ Marketing Magazine issue. Subscribe here.
