Auto Trader shifts gears with bold new rebrand

AUCKLAND, Today: Forty years after launching, Auto Trader has rebranded and relaunched online with a fresh campaign, its first of this kind. Telling New Zealand about your car taps into the idea that private sellers want maximum visibility for their listings.

The campaign spans TV, online video, digital OOH, cinema, radio, PR, and performance media, using Kiwi humour to connect with the audience.

Auto Trader is selecting 10 creative listings each month, giving winners a nationwide billboard campaign and free exposure.

“It’s actually a campaign about advertising. The TVC shows people trying to write an ad, but they forget the brief. We got quite confused working on it. It’s a brand awareness campaign, but it thinks it’s a promotion,” says David Thomason (DT), strategic lead.

“Kiwis love to tell stories about their cars. We get emotionally attached.” – Ross Logue

“We’re looking for listings that are witty, talk to a deeper truth, make you laugh… anything that helps people tell New Zealand about their car,” says Ross Logue, Auto Trader’s Managing Director.

“Kiwis love to tell stories about their cars. We get emotionally attached,” Logue continues.

“Expect catchy one-liners like ‘may contain traces of child’ and ‘it’s 23cm too long for my new garage,’” adds Kurt Bradley from 4AM.

Auto Trader, founded in 1981, shifted from print to online three years ago after a buyout by Ross Logue and Richie East. They’ve since revived the brand as New Zealand’s top automotive marketplace.

The new campaign launched September 1.

CREDITS

Client: AutoTrader
Managing Director: Ross Logue
Dealer Manager: Richie East

Creative & Brand Agency: 4AM
Founder, ECD: Steve Thomson
Managing Partner, ECD: Kurt Bradley
Strategy & Creative: David Thomason
Strategy: Emma Popping
Creative Director: Guy Roberts
Client Services Director: Helen Prangley
Design Director: James Nielsen
Senior Designer: Imogen Temm

Media, PR & Social Agency: Lassoo
Head of Strategy and Investment: James Roberts
Communications Director: Kimberly Kastelan
Business Director: Dani Geraghty
Social and PR Account Director: Océane Chouet
General Manager: Daniel Currin

Production Company: The Sweetshop
Director: Damien Shatford
Managing Director, EP: Ben Dailey
Producer: Jimena Murray
Cinematographer: Marty Williams
Editor: Luke Haigh
Photography: Troy Goodall (Match)

Performance Media Agency: Unbound
Founder & CEO: Quentin Weber
Account Manager: Lyndal Whiting