The autumn of 2003 saw the launch of a truly revolutionary car: the Mazda RX-8 with its unique engine, design and freestyle-door system. In fact the car was so unique that nobody had an exact image of the target group. There was no predecessor, no address database, not even exact technical specification, pricing or launch date. So the task was as simple as difficult: introduce a technically unique car, find its customers and, once found, keep them happy and interested until the final launch date. The Mazda RX-8 is a revolutionary car – in the true sense of the word. And, like all revolutions, it will surely change perception: the world becomes RX-8. We use the rectangular shape of the rotary engine as our visual for Mazda RX-8, and everything that comes in contact with Mazda RX-8 will adopt this unique shape.

An unbranded ad started collecting addresses, followed by three mailing steps. First everyday things like pillows, food or red blood cells morphed into the RX-8 shape. Then we introduced the RX-8 language, and finally we had people visibly 'infected' with RX-8. Andrea Lichtenwimmer   Senior Consultant   GraffitiTanja Heier   Senior Consultant   Philipp & KeuntjeMichael Finke   Head of Customer & Retail Marketing   Audi

The Mazda RX-8 is a revolutionary car – in the true sense of the word. And, like all revolutions, it will surely change perception: the world becomes RX-8. We use the rectangular shape of the rotary engine as our visual for Mazda RX-8, and everything that comes in contact with Mazda RX-8 will adopt this unique shape.

An unbranded ad started collecting addresses, followed by three mailing steps. First everyday things like pillows, food or red blood cells morphed into the RX-8 shape. Then we introduced the RX-8 language, and finally we had people visibly 'infected' with RX-8.

More than 12,500 qualified leads were generated with a single ad run, with more than 70% non-Mazda drivers. The mailing campaign sold up to 400 cars in the pre-launch phase, to customers who never drove or even saw the car. The mailings, which were sent only to German prospects, were highly acclaimed on internet sites and Mazda RX-8 communities all over the world.

And finally the mailing campaign, which was originally designed for the German market only, was adopted by half of Mazda’s European markets.