Mitsubishi’s core target consumer is not a spectator – they like to participate and take action.
That’s why a sponsorship of City Chase, an annual adventure game that sends teams of two on a scavenger hunt and race across the city for the chance to win two 2011 Mitsubishi Outlanders, is perfect for the brand aiming for the ‘bull’s eye’ 28-year-old target, explains Kevin O’Rourke, customer experience marketing manager, Mitsubishi in Canada.
The car is incorporated into seven of the 10 mandatory chase events in each market that the events take place in. City Chase is promoted in newspaper advertorials, including the Calgary Sun and Toronto Sun, and the Rogers radio group in Ottawa.
Mitsubishi is the title sponsor, this year working with Research in Motion’s BlackBerry, the presenting sponsor, for integrated mobile branding within the game. The Mitsubishi Paparazzi street team for example will take photos of participants on BlackBerry, print it out and send it to chasers as a postcard.
‘It’s giving them the opportunity to showcase features within the device, and gives us the opportunity to execute a CRM plan,’ O’Rourke tells MiC.
During the six-hour race, participants who own a smartphone can also take advantage of the BlackBerry Gurus, who are staff that wear shirts with QR codes on the back that can be scanned to receive live updates throughout the race, explains Lauren Habib, spokesperson for City Chase. Both sponsorships were arranged internally by the brands.
This is Mitsubishi’s third time sponsoring the race, which is headed for Calgary, Toronto, Kelowna, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver; the first race took place this past weekend in Edmonton. For Mitsubishi, it’s an opportunity to help our local dealers in each area and well as make a connection with their target consumer, explains O’Rourke. Through participation and media coverage, City Chase generates about half a million impressions for the brand, he adds.
‘In some of the markets we actually have the dealership as one of the stops in the chase points,’ O’Rourke says. ‘Or it might be something where they actually go in to the vehicle, tune in to Sirius Satellite radio and then they have to sing karaoke to the loudest group in the street.’
