NRMA‘s latest campaign unveiled a new tagline “Road, Travel and Rewards”, highlighting the brand’s commitment to showing up for Australians across travel offerings, roadside assistance and its rewards program. B&T sat down with NRMA’s chief membership officer, Victoria Doidge, to find out why this was the perfect time to freshen the 104-year-old brand’s tagline.
The campaign features eight different ads unifying the central theme of “Road, Travel and Rewards”. Each ad addresses NRMA’s different offerings, which Victoria Doidge said many Aussies weren’t aware existed as the brand is often associated solely with roadside assistance.
Unifying NRMA’s Offerings For Everyday Aussies
Doidge emphasised that while many Aussies think of NRMA as a NSW brand, its loyalty and rewards program is available across the nation.
A large part of the campaign was about breaking down assumptions of the brand by presenting the range of experiences and offerings Aussies can enjoy from NRMA.
“Our intention with this work was to simplify the customer experience and ecosystem and unify our efforts as a mutual so that Australians could understand us better,” Doidge said.
“Data and research showed us that while awareness of our roadside offering was very high, we had work to do to tell Australians about our extensive travel offering and our rewards program which serves 3.2 million Australians.
“NRMA is a brand for all Australians, and in many ways, it’s a brand for ordinary Australians. One of the things that we’re painfully aware of at the moment is the cost of living crisis. We believe that many Australian families right now are asking themselves, can I afford to fill the tank with petrol to go on a road trip to see the grandparents, or can we afford to go to the movies this weekend?
“And what we’re doing with NRMA rewards is building a program that, at only $5 a month, gives a world of benefits that should make it easier for Australian families, and that’s very much our focus at the moment.
“We used campaign language like ‘We’re for going out for movies and dinner, we’re for holidays,’ to illustrate that we show up for Australians in all areas of life.”
In the travel category, NRMA has over 70 destinations across parks, resorts, lodges, cruises and expeditions. The rewards program is only 18 months old but offers discounts for a range of brands and services including Woolworths, Event Cinemas and Chemist Warehouse.
“We also want to be a brand that stands up for everyday freedoms or life freedoms. That might be one of our Kimberly cruises, which some would say is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s a very premium experience that anyone can get access and discounts to as a member. We also provide discounts through to more everyday things like fuel,” Doidge said.
Doidge said the brand has “a lot of stretch” and the campaign language shows that it extends well beyond roadside assistance to parkside fun.
“We worked with Houston and Saatchis to make sure that this message comes across, showing Aussies that NRMA can stretch from a premium hiking experience in Cradle Mountain in Tasmania to a low-cost holiday park experience. The brand had to work very hard talking to different customer segments,” she said.
“The new logo really brings together our offerings for Australians across the country.”
A Refreshed Identity
At 104 years old, it wasn’t surprising that the brand needed to refresh its identity to shift with the times.
“We are custodians of one of Australia’s most-beloved brands – ranked ninth most trusted in Australia – so it was vital we stay true to its tradition while also telling the story of how this 104-year-old company is changing and growing,” Doidge said.
“NRMA is the largest and oldest mutual in the country. We’re very much purpose-made to serve Australians. That’s at the heart of who we are. Being purpose-made to serve,” said Doidge.
“Saatchi & Saatchi brought terrific creative energy. The job we were asking them to do was really complicated. The ad was about NRMA Rewards and NRMA roadside assistance, as well as our travel offerings.
“We needed to have customers on each side aware that the other offerings exist. Saatchis allowed us to use our creative platform to our advantage across our different assets and mediums, from print to editorial.”
We can expect to see more from this latest stage of NRMA’s refreshed identity, promised Doidge.
“This is the first phase of a new brand identity, you can expect to see the second phase next year, as we continue to build Australia’s largest EV charging network,” she said.
She added NRMA is determined to prove it’s for all Australians.
