It’s hard out there for a used car company. They start off on the reputational back foot thanks to the multitude of shady sellers that are out there in the world. So how does a modern, digital used car brand establish itself as a credible newcomer? That’s what Cazoo asked us for help with.
Cazoo was founded by Alex Chesterman (of Zoopla, no less) as the new way to buy a used car. And they wanted a unique way of communicating that would build rapport with skeptical customers and set them apart from pushy, untrustworthy car salesmen.
Fortunately for us, Cazoo had been doing detailed research, so they had plenty of insightful stats and customer opinions to help us in the planning phase of the project. And we found quite quickly that their writers were already working to a high standard, which meant we could focus on the more nuanced, strategic challenges without needing to go over the basics.
The solution is: it’s not really about cars
Cazoo quite rightly focus on people, not product. Yes, certain folks out there will know just how big a 640 litre boot is, but most people have a hard time visualising that. They’re more interested in what they can do with that space. For example, that car would be ideal for a family with a big dog, or tons of food shopping to do. (As a nice bonus, writing like this also helps you avoid slipping into petrolhead jargon and sounding too much like an episode of Top Gear.)
We designed a tone of voice for Cazoo that’s themed around a family car journey to the seaside town of Margate. Not only is this a bit unusual (and so easy to remember and use), it’s a constant reminder to always think about the people using the cars and not the hardware itself.
