Peter Vardy creates brand mascot Aard Vardy
Car dealership Peter Vardy Group has introduced a brand mascot into its communications – Aard Vardy, created by the company’s marketing agency, The Lane Agency.
The character has been introduced as part of the client’s brief to create a positive and fun experiences for families to engage with across the nine Scottish dealerships.
As part the launch promotion, an initial 100 Aardy’s have been dressed in the characters personalised clothing and will be sold throughout the showrooms, while the character will also appear in the new kids areas within the dealerships.
The proceeds for purchasing an Aardy will be donated to the Peter Vardy Foundations, which distributes funds to local and international charities.
Supporting the launch of the character, an on-line campaign including a Facebook fan page, a twitter account and a blog have been created for Aardy, while a competitions and audience interaction will also be implemented.
A background story, telling Aardy’s tale of stowing awayfrom his homeland of South Africa in Peter Vardy’s suitcase to come to Scotland as his fellow Aardvarks shared his love of cars, has also been created.
Ali Findlay, managing director of The Lane, said that the agency believe that the character was an ideal fit with the brand and that it was family focused and lots of fun.
“The key to successful Facebook campaigns is to interact with your audience on an emotional level in a fun and clever way, giving them something of value and not just hard sell retail messages. While we will be looking to communicate subtle retail messages through Aard Vardy posts and updates, the core aim is to promote the Peter Vardy brand values and personality,” continued Findlay.
“Having worked in motor retailing for over 15 years, working with Peter Vardy Group is refreshing in terms of their ability to embrace new ideas, to consider the whole customer experience and to involve new marketing methods in what is considered to be a very traditional sector.”