How Subaru-Sponsored Conversations Between Owners and Prospects in Their Private Communispace Community Generated Trust and Purchase Intent
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Subaru
The Subaru Owners Connection is a community of 300 Subaru owners across all model types who were brought together to help Subaru re-design their Owners website called My.Subaru.com. This group of engaged owners provided insights into their interests, needs, hobbies as well as in-depth insight into their relationship with Subaru, the company, and their Subaru car. These insights along with evaluating their current site and exploring how these owners want to connect with each other and with Subaru online, have led to recommendations being actively explored and implemented in the re-design of the My.Subaru.com website.
Like many automotive companies, Subaru is always seeking ways to reach prospective buyers and understand their needs in what is an increasingly competitive market. Subaru's loyalty ratings are high and with a strong owner base, the company was curious to understand if interacting with current owners online could positively impact prospective buyers' interest in the brand.
Using its private, online Communispace community, The Subaru Owners Connection, as a platform, Subaru launched the "Prospective Buyers Project." The goal was to understand not only if interacting with owners could increase interest among prospective buyers, but also to evaluate if a Subaru-sponsored site that provided this interaction would be seen as a trusted source. Would prospective buyers believe that information provided on the site was honest? Could Subaru potentially use this site to leverage its owner base as advocates for the brand who would ultimately drive sales?
Enabling Honest Conversation Makes For Great Customer Service
Subaru recruited prospective buyers who were considering purchasing a Subaru and asked them to spend two weeks speaking with current owners in the Subaru Owners Connection. Fifty- three prospective buyers used the opportunity to ask questions about safety, reliability, head room, leg room, fuel efficiency and other issues pertinent to their needs. Current owners were encouraged to answer their questions honestly, exposing both the positive and negative attributes of Subaru vehicles in their responses.
The results from the project were impressive:
- Overall, interest in Subaru increased. 68% of respondents said they were "much" or "somewhat" more likely to purchase a Subaru post-project.
- Conversations may have helped lead to sales. Seven prospective buyers actually purchased a Subaru during the two week study.
- Trust was not a concern. 75% of prospective buyers said that owners' responses were "very honest" and they believed the content provided in the community was balanced and accurate.
- Prospective buyers liked the idea. 75% of respondents said that having an ongoing Subaru-sponsored site dedicated to prospect/owner interaction would be "useful" to prospective buyers and 70% would recommend that site to a friend.
Subaru was also able to learn more about prospective buyers, including their current perspectives on fuel economy and the importance of dealerships and overall cost of ownership.
Ultimately, this project showed that enabling honest online conversations between current owners and prospective buyers could have a positive impact on brand perception, interest and potentially sales among new customers. For companies with loyal consumer bases like Subaru, this could be a new avenue to build new customer relationships and drive revenue.
"[What I liked best about the Prospective Buyers Project is that] I have never had a manufacturer show so much concern [as Subaru has] about their product...ever." – Prospective Subaru Buyer
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For more information, please contact:
Debi Kleiman
Director, Product Marketing
617.607.1442
dkleiman@communispace.com