Launching Opel’s latest Meriva model in Spain was a huge challenge. Like all automotive companies, in 2010 Opel was facing a perfect storm in Spain: the ongoing economic downturn, a 2% hike in VAT, and the end of a government scheme giving consumers €2,000 for their old car.

Opel needed to tell consumers that its new Meriva was the best way of travelling with children, rather than merely transporting them. 'Nanny on Board' positioned the Meriva as being so family-friendly, it was like having a nanny travelling with you. No more wails of 'Are we there yet?' from the back seat!As Spain geared up for the annual 'Operation Vacation' on 15 July, Madrid’s Gardens of Fortuny were transformed into a fantasy playground, where a celebrity mum and childcare expert showed journalists how to make car journeys easier. Playgrounds were installed at Opel dealerships across Spain, and potential buyers entered a competition to win a nanny for a year.Immediate, enthusiastic coverage surpassed Opel’s expectations, and from July-September 2010, there was a 144% increase in dealership traffic compared with 2009. Incredibly, while overall car sales in Spain plummeted by 32%, there was a massive hike in sales of the Meriva.

The day before Operation Vacation, Madrid’s Gardens of Fortuny were transformed into a child’s fantasy playground for the Nanny on Board launch event. Spanish celebrity and mum Alejandra Prat, an Opel spokesman and childcare expert Laura Micale showed 50 journalists simple solutions for fun, memorable family car journeys.The team set up a Facebook fan page, and developed a 'Travelling with Kids' DVD full of tips for distribution at dealerships. Television stations and online outlets were sent b-roll on how parents' holiday car journey challenges were resolved with the wisdom of the 'Meriva Nanny'.Playgrounds were installed at Opel dealerships across Spain, where potential buyers entered a competition to win a nanny for a year when they took a test drive.Nanny on Board then went on tour, with the car, a playground and a team of nannies installed at Spanish theme parks for six weekends in the autumn.

The launch of Nanny on Board achieved immediate pick up on Spain’s television channels, including national and local news, surpassing Opel’s expectations. This broadcast success was combined with positive features in society, lifestyle and parenting print media, as well as numerous online hits. The campaign yielded a total of 102 pieces of coverage with an AVE of 539,000 euro. On-message headlines included: 'The car that understands kids'; 'How to answer "Mum/Dad are we there yet?"'; 'The first car with nanny on board' and 'The first car with nanny stops kids getting bored'.

Most importantly, the campaign had a significant business impact. Between July and September 2010, there was a 144% increase in dealership traffic compared with the same period in 2009. Incredibly, while overall car sales in Spain plummeted by 32%, there was a massive hike in sales of the Opel Meriva model between July-September 2010, compared to 2009.