Brand ambassadors on the street

A fleet car isn't always just a mode of transport. It can also be an important part of a company's branding, which makes the choosing of the right car a highly thought-out process.
Rather than just opting for the cheapest choice or the traditional choice, we met five companies for whom selecting their fleet cars was no accident.
The Media One Hotel in Dubai and Aloft Hotel in Abu Dhabi both use Mini Clubmans as a brand-appropriate alternative to traditional limos for picking up guests from the airport and for sales staff to attend meetings.
Emirates Palace, meanwhile, goes down the Rolls-Royce route in keeping with the hotel's super-exclusive image.
And friendly hatchbacks are the order of the day for Better Homes and AXA insurance in a bid to stand out from competitors who might not offer the same level of service.
Cora De Conceicao-Stuart, the general manager for Media One, and Stephan Vanden Auweele, Aloft's general manager, both cited the luggage space in the back of the Clubmans via the barn doors, as well as close proximity to the driver for a more social experience.
"Our cars look friendly and this reflects who we are - it is about approachability," says De Conceicao-Stuart. "In the Mini, the passenger might sit in the front instead of the back and be quite close to the driver - there is a lot more interaction, the guests seem to like being next to the driver who can then point out things like the Grand Mosque on the way to the hotel," says Vanden Auweele. De Conceicao-Stuart says that when they were choosing the cars, they wanted something funky and, ultimately, fuel efficiency played a part in choosing the Minis. "We looked at hybrids but couldn't find one that was suitable, we looked at the Volkswagen Beetle, we looked at Mustangs but we wanted to find a balance between style and practicality," she says, with the Mini Clubman winning out on all criteria. "You can fit a large suitcase in the back and a briefcase in the front," she says. "We have our branding on the cars in English and Arabic and there are two cars at the moment, one in black and one in red."
Vanden Auweele says Aloft caters to a new niche market, the non-traditional traveller. He says there will always be a market for the traditional traveller who expects to be picked up in a limousine but the brightly painted Mini Clubmans are an important extension of the distinctly non-traditional hotel. Self-serve check-in and instant internet access are more important to Aloft guests than room service and chocolates on the pillows, according to Vanden Auweele, and using Minis for airport pick-ups is an extension of this new attitude.
"Mini is not a cheap brand," says Vanden Auweele. "It has personality, it is young, it is fresh, it is a lifestyle product, like Apple or Virgin, it is not the highest end brand but it is a product with its own identity." Vanden Auweele says that the novelty factor also wins over guests. "Especially in the Middle East, almost everyone has sat in a Mercedes at some point, but so many people will say 'I've never sat in a Mini'. It is amazing how many people will prefer the Mini over a car like a Mercedes or a BMW."
Vanden Auweele says that the Minis make sense for the Aloft brand just as "the Rolls-Royces are entirely appropriate for Emirates Palace, for that level of prestige and luxury."
Gerhard Bosse, the executive assistant manager for Emirates Palace, agrees that the hotel's two Rolls-Royces, as well as two Maybachs and 16 BMWs, are all an extension of the ultra high-end brand. "The Rolls-Royce will fit the image of Emirates Palace," says Bosse looking around at the golden hues of the hotel's imposing foyer. "We cannot have a hotel with all this luxury equipment and then pick up the guests in a Tata."
The main purpose of the cars is to meet guests at the airport and it is up to the guests as to what car will pick them up. A guest in a standard room can pay extra for the Rolls-Royce or the Maybach, while a guest in a suite can automatically expect a Rolls-Royce to be on hand. Guests can also order a car and driver to be at their beck and call.
"Some guests, even heads of state or other important people, might prefer the BMW because they don't want to stand out, but if someone is staying at Emirates Palace for a an occasion like a wedding anniversary, they might want the Rolls-Royce to make it more special," says Bosse.
From the time a guest is met at the Emirates Palace office at Abu Dhabi airport, Bosse says they receive very special treatment, with a selection of drinks and cold towels waiting for them in the car's fridge. The drivers are briefed on who they are picking up from the airport and the hotel likes to find out information such as the guest's favourite music so this can be playing in the car when they get in.
"The room-service menu is also in the car, so if a guest is hungry or busy or both, they can order a meal from the car and it should be ready for them by the time they arrive from the airport.
"Some guests like to chat and have the sights pointed out to them along the way, while others prefer to be quiet, while others will spend the whole journey on the phone," says Bosse.
Drivers are trained with Rolls-Royce in England so they know the cars intimately and are briefed to always respect the confidentiality of the guests.
"We don't let just anyone drive the Rolls-Royces - if it is your first day as a driver at Emirates Palace, you won't be allowed to drive the Rolls-Royce immediately," says Bosse.
Two industries that frequently suffer from a poor reputation among consumers are real estate and insurance but Better Homes real estate and AXA Insurance see their branded company cars as an extension of the good service they hope to offer customers.
James Gauduchon, marketing manager for Better Homes, says its fleet of around 90 distinctive dark blue and bright pink Volkswagen Golfs, which can be seen in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, were designed as part of a PR and community outreach programme with a number of Dubai schools in 2006.
"We went to local schools in Dubai to get students to come up with the designs for our cars and the winning candidates get their name and school on the car," says Gauduchon. "It gives the students some brand ownership and for us, it was part of making our brand approachable."
When re-registering the cars, Better Homes has had some issues with the Dubai RTA claiming the cars should all have the same design but so far, in the absence of any official written policy from the RTA on the livery for branded cars, the eye-catching hatchbacks remain on the road and continue to play a part in the company's marketing and visibility.
The cars are used by agents and part of their appeal is the fact that agents can drive potential customers to viewings instead of subjecting them to the usual confusion of landmark-based driving directions in the absence of a proper addressing system. Gauduchon says the Golf was chosen for its safety and reliability but also because the car is "quirky and fun, the cars have real personality.
"The cars help generate sales leads too," he says, recalling instances where agents have received notes or business cards on their windscreens from potential buyers, tenants and sellers. "Even the most successful sales people, who might have a Ferrari, still prefer to use the Golf for work because it is so recognisable."
As the cars act like mobile billboards for the company, Gauduchon says the staff are expected to drive courteously and keep the cars clean or they are fined. Traffic fines are paid for by the offending staff members.
The Better Homes cars will soon be seen by a wider audience. "We're currently assisting in setting up branded car wraps for some of our franchise offices across the GCC," he says. "We will soon have branded cars on the streets of Muscat and Jeddah with the plan to roll out the same in all the markets in which Better Homes has a presence."
AXA insurance sees its fleet of 100 red Toyota Yaris courtesy cars as an important part of their marketing and a public demonstration of the high priority it places on customer service. The cars feature brand information in English on one side and Arabic on the other.
Alexis de Beauregard, AXA Gulf's chief officer for marketing and retail products, says that it is rare in the region for insurance companies to offer courtesy cars for customers whose cars are being repaired. "It is well appreciated by the customers - even with the Metro and buses and taxis, it can still be hard to get around Dubai without a car," he says. "This is an added value that we offer our customers."
The cars were chosen because they are efficient and easy to drive. "They are all automatic, if we had manuals that would be a risk," says de Beauregarde, referring to overwhelming preference for automatic transmissions among UAE drivers. The other risk is that drivers may be spotted driving AXA courtesy cars irresponsibly, but de Beauregarde considers this a small risk. "Our policies tend to attract safer drivers so while it is a risk that someone may be stupid in one of our cars, I think most of our customers are good drivers - and, just like a hire car, if someone gets a fine in an AXA car, they have to pay."
But the benefits of having a highly visible fleet of brightly branded cars outweigh any risks. de Beauregarde echoes the sentiments of the other companies when he says the cars are an excellent marketing strategy. "We definitely had the first branded insurance company cars in the UAE and the positive effects on our brand are huge - people definitely know that it is an AXA client when they see the cars on the road."
glewis@thenational.ae