Motorist shifts gears to brand building with first masterbrand campaign

Singapore-founded automotive technology platform Motorist is shifting its marketing focus beyond performance-driven demand capture with its first major masterbrand campaign, bringing its range of car ownership services under one brand proposition.

Titled "YES. One place to settle it all", the campaign positions Motorist as a single platform for drivers to manage different aspects of car ownership, from buying and selling vehicles to renewing certificates of entitlement (COEs), securing insurance and finding workshops.

The campaign marks a shift from marketing individual services to building broader awareness and preference for the Motorist brand, as the company looks to establish a more consistent identity across its services and regional markets.

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At the heart of the campaign is the word "YES", which serves as a response to common questions drivers face, such as finding the right car, selling a vehicle, renewing a COE or comparing insurance options. The message culminates in the brand proposition, "Motorist. One place to settle it all."

The hero film follows drivers through different moments of car ownership, supported by service-specific films covering car buying, car selling, COE financing and insurance.

Developed with independent creative agency OTBT (Off The Beaten Track), the campaign is supported by Havas, which leads media strategy and buying in Singapore. It is rolling out across radio, YouTube, Meta and digital video, alongside Motorist's social media, website and app channels.

Pearlina Chan, head of brand and marketing at Motorist, said the company had spent years building its capabilities in performance marketing to reach consumers actively looking for specific automotive services.

However, as the business grows, the focus is expanding towards creating demand by building brand awareness before consumers begin searching for a particular service.

"‘One place to settle it all’ gives the many things Motorist already does one clearer home and one simple role in people's lives: making car ownership easier to navigate," Chan said.

She added that the campaign was the start of a broader effort to build a more distinctive brand that could grow with the business across services and markets.

Angela Poh, chief executive officer of Motorist, said the brand needed to evolve alongside the company's business and regional expansion, with the ambition of becoming a platform drivers could turn to throughout their ownership journey rather than for individual transactions.

“Motorist has grown significantly as a business and across the region, and the brand needs to grow with it. For our customers, the ambition is simple. We want Motorist to become a platform they know they can turn to throughout car ownership, not just for one transaction or one need," said Poh. 

The campaign forms part of a wider effort to bring greater consistency to how Motorist presents itself across its services, content, markets and customer touchpoints.

Founded in 2015, Motorist operates across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The company said it has assisted nearly 1.9 million motorists, facilitated SG$3 billion in vehicle transactions and works with more than 3,300 certified automotive partners across the region.

The campaign builds on Motorist’s appointment of Chan as head of brand and marketing, announced earlier this year, to lead its regional brand, content, media and performance marketing across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Chan, who previously served as regional brand marketing lead at Bridgestone Asia Pacific, joined as Motorist looked to bring brand building and performance marketing closer together, creating demand as well as capturing it. 

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