CarBravo Highlights the Feeling of 'Usedphoria' in Campaign from MRM Detroit

Following GM's initial launch of the CarBravo used car platform, MRM Detroit has unveiled a new end-to-end campaign to dial into the emotions associated with every step of the used car purchase journey. With newly launched creative this week, CarBravo aims to reinvigorate the entire used car experience with 'usedphoria' — a rare combination of confidence, security, happiness and trust with a dash of glee. A keenly targeted and data-driven marketing approach aims to introduce that positive emotion across each and every step of the shopping, buying and ownership journey to an audience of nearly 9 million in-market used car shoppers. The creative will launch across online video, paid social, organic social, web, streaming audio, OLA, paid search, streaming and addressable TV to deliver the right message at the right time, no matter where they are on their journey. 

This creative serves as the new brand’s official launch after GM’s inaugural announcement of CarBravo. As an entirely new business proposition and brand for GM, CarBravo feels fun and relentlessly positive at every touchpoint, all the way down to literal smile in its brand mark. Because the brand was built from scratch, we had a unique opportunity to leverage fully the strengths and expertise of the IPG network (MRM leading the marketing strategy and full campaign development; FutureBrand for the brand mark; Weber Shandwick on social) on behalf of GM to launch this amazing brand and penetrate the market with personality, purpose and usedphoria. That feeling also plays into the broader brand experience, in everything from POS materials at participating dealerships, brand tone, original photography, a new website, and beyond.

Rather than just certifying and selling used GM vehicles, CarBravo uniquely offers the same assurances on a wide array of makes and models—even those that are typically GM’s competition through online and in-person shopping. This new kind of used relationship supports shoppers throughout their entire journey. From the moment someone is in the market for a used car, through finding it, through selling their other car, and well into ownership. And with CarBravo locations popping up weekly, the launch is perfectly timed to drive more demand as inventory continues to grow. 

MRM Detroit chief creative officer Jeff Cruz said: “The two best parts of helping launch CarBravo: One, we got to create a whole new word for the feeling it brings you with ‘usedphoria.” And two, that word (and those feelings) go well beyond shopping and buying, and far into the experience of owning a used vehicle from CarBravo.

“It’s pretty darn rare that you get to help create and launch a big brand from its very start. So, the MRM team was all in — and then some — for this opportunity. And you can be sure there’s more big, innovative, usedphoria-inducing things to come, too.” 

MRM group creative director Tiffany Moy-Miller, said: “The beauty of this campaign is that usedphoria can (and should) come to life in different ways, in different places, for different messages. From zen-like streaming audio to smile-inducing OLA to fantastical exaggeration and more, the ways we create that emotional connection to this better used-car experience can change. And can continue to do so for a long time.” 

Steve Wineman, CarBravo national marketing and advertising manager: “The reality is most people approach used car shopping with the same enthusiasm as getting a root canal. So, when it came to building a brand-new brand for a brand-new way to buy used cars, we knew plaid jackets and an inflatable gorilla weren’t going to cut it. But seeing as the team at MRM has been quietly producing award-winning used car creative for the last five years or so, I knew we’d be happy with the results. Turns out we were more than happy – we were ‘usedphoric.’" 

“When you establish a new brand by building your logo around a smile, you’re making a pretty big promise to consumers before you’ve even said a word – especially when that brand is all about creating a better way to sell used cars. So when the team at MRM came up with the idea of ‘usedphoria’ that fit so well with everything we were trying to establish with CarBravo, we knew we were onto something special.”