Belgium is a small country but according to the INRIX Traffic Data Company we're big when it comes to city traffic jams. With three cities in the top 13 of most congested cities in Europe and North America Belgium performs as good (or as bad) as the USA. No wonder with 6,5 million vehicles for a population of 10 million.

One of the reasons is the lack of space and more in particular: parking space. A study performed by SUSTAPARK (supported and endorsed by the University of Brussels and the cities of Brussels and Leuven) concludes that 7 out of 10 cars driving around in the city centre are looking for a parking spot.

But we needed to make this revelation more significant for smart. We needed to make this insight more tangible and relevant for the individual driver.

We kicked-off the campaign with a striking long radio commercial (5'13") in prime time on a wide selection of national radio stations.

Followed by a classic radio campaign (30" length commercials) building further on the frustrations of finding a parking spot in the city centre.

72% of the target group was reached with an 0TH of 8 which resulted in good scores for recognition and attribution.

The campaigns based on this insight succeeded in putting smart back on the radar of people looking to buy a small city car. We climbed out of the pit and brand consideration rose to 12% (which puts us in the middle of the pack).

A small survey with 4 official smart dealers showed a significant rise of test drives (+23%) and online offer demands (+32%).

Official sales results (FEBIAC-controlled) reported a rise in sales of 12,3% in comparison with the same period previous year.

And this without significant changes in product, distribution or pricing. Or with additional promotions.