Breaking into a Crowded Market with a Clear Brand Story
Geely Auto is a global automotive brand with big ambitions. But entering the UK market – one of the most competitive and brand-loyal automotive markets in the world – meant more than launching a car. It meant building a brand people would notice, understand and trust, from day one.
THE CHALLENGE:
The UK automotive landscape is crowded and increasingly disrupted by a wave of new, high-spec entrants, particularly from China. For Geely, the challenge was two-fold. They needed to cut through a saturated market and establish clear differentiation from both legacy manufacturers and emerging competitors. And they needed to do it quickly – building emotional relevance with UK car buyers while also delivering rational reasons to consider a new, unfamiliar brand.
THE SOLUTION:
We started by defining Geely’s UK positioning and creative platform, rooted in everyday British life. The aim was to make the brand feel present, relevant and familiar from the outset, rather than something newly arrived on the scene. We started with a simple brand truth “Geely means Lucky” as a brand tease. This led to the official Brand introduction ‘Say Hi…’ campaign around a simple but powerful idea: start a conversation. This human-first approach positioned Geely as approachable and curious, inviting UK drivers to engage with a brand that’s new to their roads but globally respected. Our idea was again based on another brand truth; the “Hi Geely” greeting that activates the AI in vehicle assistant.
The product launch campaign for the first UK product, the Geely EX5 continued the ‘Hi’ concept with “Say Hi to the Geely EX5” This launch phase involved multiple studio and location product films and photo shoots, OOH, social and digital advertising, product brochure and finally TV and radio ads.
Hot on the heels of the launch of the EX5, M3 and Geely launched the Starray EM-i. Check out that case study for more details.
THE RESULT:
We focused on building a community from the ground up. Starting with zero followers, we leveraged Meta Ads follower campaigns to accelerate growth.
By combining precise audience targeting, engaging creative, and a conversational tone aligned with the campaign, we grew Geely’s UK social presence to over 5,000 followers within 3 months. By month 2 Geely’s Instagram account became the fastest growth account within the category, out growing the likes of KIA, MG and BYD.
This gave the brand a strong foundation for future engagement and advocacy.In just a matter of months, Geely successfully entered the UK market and with M3 as their experienced agency partner, launched two vehicles, building awareness, momentum and credibility in a highly competitive space.
The first launch established presence. The second deepened relevance and expanded appeal. Together, they created a joined-up market entry strategy that positioned Geely as a confident new player in the UK automotive landscape.
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