Steering Mazda Customers (iCrossing) | MMA Global

Steering Mazda Customers (iCrossing)

March 24, 2008
Steering Mazda Customers
 
Company: iCrossing
Brand: Mazda
 
We started working with Mazda USA, the division of Mazda that oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, six years ago, in 2001. In early 2006, as a part of our IAOR engagement with Mazda, we began discussing solutions to expand the Mazda Web presence to non-browser type channels by creating a mobile-enabled site.

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Objectives
Together, iCrossing and Mazda established the goals of the project. The primary goal was to expand the reach of the brand, and to also build and develop brand loyalty with the target audience by establishing the Mazda brand as innovative and ahead of the curve. To that end, it was important to define the customer journey from the perspective of the mobile user, and utilize and develop a series of new mobile applications and relevant content, rather than simply repurposing the content and functionality that exited on the traditional website.
Once we determined the type of metrics or information to be tracked, iCrossing was able to meet Mazda’s next objective which was to create a single interactive marketing dashboard where all metrics – including those coming from other vendors and agencies – could be viewed and analyzed.
 
Solution
iCrossing developed Mazda Mobile to feature a number of capabilities that are specifically tuned for phone browsing visitors. To provide the best experience possible, the mobile site was designed to “sniff” a visitor’s phone type, screen resolution, and connectivity speed — adjusting its presentation format/design for optimal viewing. And through the dashboards we created, Mazda is also able to track which devices and resolutions are being used to access Mazda Mobile.
The mobile journey is different than the traditional online journey, so iCrossing developed a series of mobile personas to establish the needs of the mobile Web user. Primarily, Mazda Mobile presents mobile users with vehicle information in a mobile-friendly format. And because the site can detect the type of device used to access it, images are served to those phones that have larger screens that are suited to such display.
The rich application interface provides core vehicle information and thumbnail photos, the ability to locate a dealer, a method to opt in for communications via SMS and access to contact Mazda North American Operations. Page weight was also considered, knowing how important it is for mobile content to load quickly and efficiently.
 
Results
Mazda Mobile was initially rolled-out in a beta version to Mazda specific customers in March 2007. The site officially launched in May 2007, and since then has received more than 40,000 unique visitors, who completed more than 38,000 key performance actions, using Dealer Locator, Inventory Search and Keep Me Updated Opt-In areas of the site.
We have also created additional functionality for the website, including an application that allow users to find a local dealership and receive dealer locations and driving directions via SMS through requests originating on the full website; this functionality launched in November 2007 and additional functionality will be added to this application over time.