Increasing influence through social activism
How ACCESS Europe used highly targeted thought-leadership to drive sales engagement
Platform created a social activism programme to help ACCESS Europe engage a highly targeted group of automotive industry decision makers.
ACCESS Europe is leading the way in helping manufacturers prepare for the era of the connected car. Services such as in-car entertainment are set to form the bedrock of a new, data-based relationship between people and their cars.
ACCESS Europe provides a bridge between three very different industries: automotive, software and content. Bringing these worlds together is not easy because they work in completely different ways:
- Traditionally, manufacturers plan their next car launches years in advance, working with a global supply chain and little in the way of after-sales upgrades
- The Tech companies of Silicon Valley move very quickly in an environment where regular software updates ensure that no product is ever considered finished
- Content rights are subject to a complex web of regional and international rights deals
“During conversations with CEOs from other companies it’s been mentioned several times that they think we understand and are using LinkedIn better than all other technology companies that they are connected with: I have the team at Platform to thank for that. They have supported our shift in strategy, put even more effort into the programme during lockdown and continually adjust their approach to deliver what we need. Platform’s energy and quality of thought and output has really helped increase our sales momentum in the complex and competitive next-generation connected car market.”
ACCESS Europe is uniquely placed to help car manufacturers overcome these challenges. It has software in over 1.5 billion devices worldwide and its ACCESS Twine™ for Car (Twine4Car) in-car entertainment system comes pre-loaded with premium content from rights holders across the globe. This enables manufacturers to deliver game changing experiences while also maintaining control of the consumer relationship. Additionally, Twine4Car has a car-specific App Store, which enables services to easily be updated and enhanced.
How could ACCESS Europe get these messages across to the people that really matter across the globe?
ACCESS is a true word-leader, but it can’t issue press releases about the myriad concepts and proposals it is working on with customers because next-generation car experiences are months or years from market. Understanding that ACCESS cannot rely on customer win communications to spread the word, we worked with the company to design a thought-leadership-led communications strategy that would deliver success without “success stories”.
What we did
Platform created a social activism programme to ensure ACCESS Europe is seen as an in-car entertainment expert and thought-leader by key senior decision makers at leading car manufacturers and major component suppliers. The programme focused on high quality content that spoke to the topics that matter to a highly targeted group of buyers and influencers. Every piece of content was designed to drive a specific sales conversation and was delivered direct to a highly targeted audience through LinkedIn campaigns.
Activity was planned and started just ahead of the global lockdown, which closed all ACCESS Europe’s traditional sales opportunities, including events, face-to-face meetings and networking opportunities.
The campaign included:
- Careful planning with senior executives to agree objectives and a clear strategy to achieve them
- Regular briefings with all the ACCESS Europe salespeople to get input on the sales conversations they wanted to be having
- Identifying the people that matter, their connections and the topics they are engaging with
- Developing a content strategy to support each salesperson in each market. All content designed to give each person a reason to contact key decision makers at some of the world’s largest car manufacturers
- Publication of an eBook to educate the marketplace on the future of the connected car and in-car entertainment
- Amplifying content in front of priority people and in the right geographies
- Ongoing reviews with ACCESS Europe to bring new approaches and initiatives to the programme
“I’m getting more views from people that matter than ever before. My profile is so much more visible now and the content that the Platform team is providing is really helping to start conversations.”
Key outcomes
Platform helped ACCESS Europe to engage with a highly targeted group of people that mattered to its sales teams across the globe. By providing content that spoke to the conversations that ACCESS Europe needed to have, its sales teams had highly relevant tools to reach new customers, re-ignite old conversations and, ultimately, drive its business forward.
By adding new tactics for its sales team, Platform has enabled ACCESS Europe to ensure success continues, despite the absence of many of its usual sales methods. The impact of the programme was felt early on when one customer target at a leading car manufacturer commented that he loved the company’s blogs on LinkedIn and was an enthusiastic reader.
Platform’s social activism programme has succeeded in creating new talking points with customers and delivering better, ongoing engagement with the people that matter. Ultimately, the outcome has been a marked increase in sales activity, and this is set to grow as the programme continues.
“The quality of content and support from Platform has really driven interest in ACCESS Europe and promoted the company’s brand. Last week I spoke to a key decision maker at one of the world’s most prestigious car brands, who said: ‘I love your LinkedIn posts and articles because they’re always thought provoking and relevant’. Thanks to the Social Activism programme, we are now able to engage our sales targets in new ways, start new conversations and re-energise older ones.”
By adding new tactics for its sales team, Platform has enabled ACCESS Europe to ensure success continues, despite the absence of many of its usual sales methods. The impact of the programme was felt early on when one customer target at a leading car manufacturer commented that he loved the company’s blogs on LinkedIn and was an enthusiastic reader.
Platform’s social activism programme has succeeded in creating new talking points with customers and delivering better, ongoing engagement with the people that matter. Ultimately, the outcome has been a marked increase in sales activity, and this is set to grow as the programme continues.