Inside one vehicle manufacturer’s Airbnb-like platform pairing riders with open terrain
The campaign won in the Media category at The Drum Awards for Marketing Americas 2023.
BRP launched a platform to pair riders with open terrain, unlocking new growth opportunities / BRP
Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), an all-terrain vehicle manufacturer, was able to overcome hurdles to growth by launching an online booking platform that connects off-road riders with landowners. By addressing the limited opportunities and accessibility to lands, BRP attracted existing riders and expanded into new territories.
The Idea
BRP needed to break through a key barrier to growth. Namely, the brand recognized that target customers had limited riding opportunities and land accessibility.
The objective was to attract existing riders by providing them with new territories to explore.
The Strategy
BRP teamed up with the team at marketing and media agency Touché to create ‘Uncharted Playgrounds,’ an online booking platform connecting riders with landowners. Think Airbnb, but for rideable land.
The launch of the platform involved three key steps. First, BRP identified exciting lands by reaching out to landowners through highly geo-targeted search and social campaigns across North America. These campaigns targeted off-road enthusiasts using lists of existing BRP owners and worked in collaboration with on-site BRP field managers.
Next, BRP invited riders to book their adventures through the platform, tapping into awareness tactics such as longer-form dynamic video content to build trust. Geographic filters were used to target riders with lands within a three-hour car ride from their location, enticing them with images of other riders exploring new playgrounds nearby. Grassroot events at popular lands further generated excitement and helped to drive bookings.
Finally, BRP optimized its campaigns based on real-time results, leveraging booking data, online visitor data and engagement metrics to adjust promotional offers and identify high-potential markets for future dealership development. The insights gathered from the platform were shared with other BRP brands to drive growth.
The Results
The rollout yielded impressive results and had a significant impact on BRP’s growth.
The number of off-road riders who purchased a BRP vehicle increased by 36% year-over-year. The ‘Uncharted Playgrounds’ platform helped to double the brand’s active regions and available riding areas, attracting new entrants that contributed to more than a fifth of BRP sales. Plus, the effort resulted in a 40% increase in search volume and lifted sales across all BRP brands available in the platform’s regions.
The success of the program inspired BRP to roll out the platform into additional international markets, unlocking new sales opportunities.
In essence, BRP unlocked new revenue streams for landowners and expanded riders’ outdoor experiences – while generating sales, expanding reach and growing its business.
This campaign won at The Drum Awards for Marketing Americas 2023. Find out more about The Drum’s Global Awards program or head to our case studies hub to read more award-winning stories.