Opel launched the “Triple Plan Prever” part-exchange programme for cars over ten years old. Get €4,800 off your purchase of an Astra, Zafira or Corsa.The 3 objectives of this action were: Push sales of the three models.Generate traffic to Opel dealers.Keep sales at the same levels as the previous year.We deliberately set out to steer clear of the usual direct marketing moves. Instead, we reached our target customers by identifying them through their cars. We came up with a campaign that we christened “windscreening”.

Using geo-marketing, we identified not only Opel dealers’ zones of influence but also cars that were over ten years old.We stuck a hand-written note on a page from an exercise book on car windscreens. The unsigned note read: “I like your car. I’ll give you three times more than anyone else. If you’re interested, call me at...”In each case, the phone number was personalised according to the nearest Opel dealer. We made up 155 different notes (one for each of the 155 Opel dealers) because the phone number varied according to each zone of influence where the notes were left.

We “windscreened” 1,231,000 exercise-book notes and calls to Opel dealers went up by 40%. Sales generated by the “Triple Plan Prever” programme increased by 1% from one year to the next when industry figures revealed a sector-wide dip in car sales.