Acura is shifting its gears in creating multi-platform marketing collateral by rolling out a new mobile-first campaign created entirely by using vertical video.

The star of the vibrant “What A Ride” campaign, shot entirely with vertical cameras and edited with lightning-fast precision, is the car manufacturer’s TLX performance luxury sedan. Acura’s creative approach to mobile comes as a result of catering to evolving consumer consumption habits toward content on digital platforms.

The psychedelic videos, shot under the serenades of hip-hop artist Kid Ink’s song “The Movement,” translates across horizontal formats like television by relying on triptych story arcs by simply dividing the screen into three. Acura hopes that their entirely new sporty and aggressive messaging method establishes a voice that resonates with consumers and differentiates their brand—especially by broadening the appeal of the TLX to younger buyers.

Filming in the visually dynamic format with social media creative techniques offers immersive opportunities such as Tapad’s mobile vertical video, Facebook canvas and carousel ad units, and Snapchat’s Snap Ads web view ad opportunity where users can actually learn more about and engage with the TLX.

Ed Beadle, Acura’s senior manager of integrated marketing, joined AListDaily to detail how their refreshed approach is designed to improve drive consideration.

Why did you decide to go with a nimbler and modular approach with your creative assets?

Modular video is a consumer-first insight. Providing content that fits the space as well as the interests of the consumer is critical for a positive interaction. For the 2018 TLX, Acura is launching an innovative mobile-first campaign utilizing vertical video along with provocative word pairings to illustrate the vehicle’s—and the brand’s—multifaceted and dynamic nature. Rather than capture content meant to work on a horizontal medium like TV and then struggle to crop and adjust for vertical environments, the entire campaign is shot with vertical cameras to create content and creative assets that aren’t compromised when translated to mobile. Essentially, the Acura brand took social content development techniques, and applied them to the entire campaign.

What insights and data led you to this new mobile-first, vertical video approach with “What A Ride?”

More and more people are consuming content via a hand-held device, and we realized that in order to break through, we needed to show up where our consumers are today. In taking a mobile-first approach, we’re prioritizing mobile as a medium, thinking about the way our images and content translates here first, rather than making a secondary consideration.

How is your marketing budget shifting to constantly tweak brand strategy based on consumer habits?

In recent years, Acura has made more of a conscious effort to shift budget toward cross-platform digital opportunities that allow for campaigns to naturally optimize based on the media consumption habits of key consumers and prospects. Additionally, Acura will continue to take an assertive approach to maximize digital investment in mobile to reach consumers throughout their day and develop “always on strategies” in key areas such as video and social CRM targeting to keep the Acura brand continuously top of mind.

Are there any new marketing platforms you plan on testing?

Acura continues to experiment with new technologies and ad platforms that allow for both key audiences to engage with the brand in new and exciting ways, and enable Acura to precisely target new audiences.

How is Acura positioning itself as a challenger brand?

Acura was born a challenger brand, rooted in performance, with precision crafted performance as the brand’s key promise to customers. About 18 months ago, we made a decision to focus on precision crafted performance as our new brand direction and promise, as Acura is a brand built on youthful energy and authentic, original values, challenging the status quo—with performance and precision craftsmanship infused into all aspects of our products. Precision crafted performance is an obsession with finding a better way, an original approach to technology and design that creates a new driving experience, and this philosophy has been applied to Acura marketing—in the youthful, independent spirit of the ads, which speaks to how the Acura brand is always challenging convention.

Why is Acura still waiting for NSX’s halo effect? How can you do a better job of marketing your super car?  

NSX as a brand halo is making an impact and continues to extend the Acura performance message image to our products, and it elevates our performance message with customers. You may have seen NSX in our “Point of View” spot, the 2016 Super Bowl spot, the “MDX Wow” campaign, and you’ll see NSX in our newest campaign, for the 2018 TLX. By leveraging the NSX supercar within Acura communications, brand indicators have strengthened. We also notice that Acura advertising scores higher when NSX is shown, even if shown briefly. NSX is also helping drive attention and engagement for the brand among the luxury market. There has been increased consideration actions among those who visit the NSX page on our site. Connection for consumers with the NSX also helps increase Acura’s social value as a whole, and has increased messaging scores for Acura models.

What is your overall digital strategy in marketing to millennials for them to understand who you are as a brand?

Our strategy is to provide the right message through the right channel at the right time. We use audience targeting and tailor our creative specifically to work on the various mobile and social channels where millennials live their lives. This lets Acura be a more organic part of their experience online—rather than bombarding them with traditional ad tactics.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

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