Charity Work
Should we undertake ‘Charity Work’?
They say to ‘walk a mile in my shoes’ gives insight into a person or companies life, so after we drove 2,600 miles with our client we believe we qualify to know much more about them and their operation.
The concept of the Motoscape Rally is to buy a car for £333 or less, turn it into a wacky, eye-catching masterpiece and drive it through some of the greatest roads in Europe. Alternatively use a classic car that’s 20 years or older. It's not just a driving holiday though, it's a great chance to meet lots of new people, raise some money for charity or just have the experience of a lifetime!
Spot On helped Motoscape with design and supply of collateral such as banners, garments and stickers, so when we were asked to join the team for the trip we jumped at the opportunity, even though it was a charity gig, with no payment.
In reflection this company is no different from any other SME, they have the same issues with internal and external communication, supply chain, customer support, banding etc. that we all do, in fact it was really informative to witness them in action, as the whole thing happens so fast, you get to see a complete production cycle in no time at all.
Comms
The internal and external communication need to be produced so that everyone knows what to do, where to be and at what time. These are created ahead of the event and circulated day by day on a need to know basis, to avoid information overload. As with all communication it needs to be clear, on brand and easy to navigate. We have recommended slight amendments and considerations (summary overview and indexed colour for better navigation) but on the whole these were fantastic documents.
Supply Chain
A logistical nightmare trying to get circa 200 people and 70+ vehicles around 12 countries in 7 days with routes, hotels, restaurants and taxis to organise. Most of this is undertaken ahead of the event but as with all business things do change and some adjustments are needed on the ground as the event unfolds. Good communication as above is the key to success and the old adage “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail” is very relevant. We have recommended improvement for ‘Brand’ messaging to support the supplier’s i.e. POP templates for posters where hotel navigation and offers can be added. Offers are a key driver as hotels supplement the reduction in room rate with bar and restaurant offers to increase footfall and revenue. So making the ‘Motoscape’ competitor aware of these offers is paramount.
Branding
The ‘Banger Rally’ is a rapidly growing market so branding is very important, you obviously want people to know which rally the customer has been on. Branding of everything is so important. Every interaction with client, social media etc. needs to be branded, Motoscape have done this perfectly, in the usual way with stickers on the cars and pop up banners with the logo on etc. but they have also introduced a very clever mechanism, a soft toy ‘Monty’ the mini. By getting the competitors to take pictures including ‘Monty’, the Motoscape brand is reinforced continually. Customer interaction was far better than envisaged, next year ‘Monty’ is to be replaced with ‘Minty’ his sister.
Conclusion
Charity work should not be something to be afraid of, it should be embraced, as we had a fantastic week with some outstanding individuals, raising thousands for charities. We have assisted with branding and collateral and the most important outcome is “We know and understand our client’s needs and their clients’ needs”. Now that’s got to be worth putting some time into.
Thanks to Motoscape and all the competitors
