17th Nov 2009

WAA awarded What Car? brief

What Car? Driving School, a new national driver training franchise, has appointed WAA to develop its brand identity and marketing strategy following a competitive pitch.

What Car? Driving School is a joint venture between What Car?, the most trusted brand in motoring, and two former BSM directors, Andy Mitchell and Paul Atkinson. The proposition is to provide a professional, branded franchise for experienced advanced driver instructors, with pupils able to select their instructor based on a range of factors published online, including geographic location, experience and, uniquely, pupil feedback.

WAA has also been tasked with producing a series of tactical executions in support of What Car? Driving School’s instructor recruitment drive. Consumer campaigns will commence in early 2010.

Jacqui Lennon, managing director of WAA, said: “The concept of What Car? Driving School is fantastic – for the first time, learner drivers will be able to rate their instructors online. It’s a proposition that brings a degree of transparency and trust previously unavailable in this market and is set to raise the bar in terms of the standard of training available.

“WAA has been retained as What Car? Driving School’s agency for all future communications. This is an exciting new brand in a staid market place; the potential for the business is enormous and we’re delighted to be on board to help create this success.”

Andy Mitchell, sales and marketing director for What Car? Driving School, said: “We were very impressed with WAA’s understanding of the business, its strategic approach to our brief and its empathy with the existing What Car? brand. It was essential that our partners at Haymarket were confident that our business will only ever complement and add value to their flagship motoring brand and WAA’s work has played a significant role on securing their trust.

“WAA’s initial launch activity to the instructor market has been spot-on and we are delighted with the creative executions WAA has presented for the consumer campaign planned for later this year. We’re confident that WAA will continue to hit the nail on the head when it comes to representing our offering and provide valuable support in making this a successful business.”