Introduction to the market - case study for period of 39 months: May 2013 – July 2016

1. Introduction to the Polish market
Case study for period of 39 months: May 2013 – July 2016

2. Goals specified by BlaBlaCar,
which we wanted to
implement in cooperation and
through the media in Poland:
Goals:
1. Informingpotential users of the
platform about its existence.
2. Support in winningdrivers and
passengers.
3. Making BlaBlaCar a recognizable brand
„first in mind”, i.e. outdistancingthe
competition.

3. 1. When Profeina took over the process
of communication for BlaBlaCar from
the freelancer, 3 months after its debut,
the brand BlaBlaCar was unknown in
Poland.
Looking back, it is a shame to admit
that during the first meeting, the
representatives of Profeina inquired the
representatives of BlaBlaCar what the
service is about...
Not only BlaBlaCar was the unknown
brand. The service of shared rides was
unknown and unpopular, too.
Challenges
2. On the Polish market, for many years
there existed a competition in the
form of carpooling.pl. It was a double
difficulty - except for the fact that it is
a competitor, it appropriated the
generic name of the service, also
provided by BlaBlaCar.

4. What was planned?

5. What was done?
Preparing for cooperation:
• carrying out joint strategic workshops;
• planning „key messages” in the long
time perspective;
• introduction and consistent use of the
new, Polish name for the carpooling
service i.e.: "shared rides”.
Technicalities, that is selected and
used tools:
• Media Relations, e.g. press releases,
contacts with selected journalists,
arranging meetings and interviews;
• Searching for partnerships and allies -
eg. support in arranging the presence of
BlaBlaCar at Przystanek Woodstock;
• Special action with free parking in
Warsaw for drivers who were carrying at
least one passenger.

6. Activities in the area of Media Relations is one of the tools of buildingbrandawareness.
The success was achievedthanks to the combinedforces of us, as a PR agency
and competences of BlaBlaCar team.
Note: we have not acted alone
advertisement
PR, Media Relations in
particulary
Activities in the area of Media Relations is one of the tools of buildingbrandawareness.
The success was achievedthanks to the combinedforces of us, as a PR agency
and competences of BlaBlaCar team.

7. How in detail we cared
about BlaBlaCar?

8. We divided works into stages
• At the first stage of cooperation we
made drivers and passengers aware
that they can reduce travel costs by
sharing them;
• Then we communicated that shared
rides are an alternative form of
transport - an alternative for example
to Polski Bus or PKP;
• With time, more and more often we
described BlaBlaCar in the context of
economic sharing;
• We mentioned ecology and
sustainable development from time
to time (without much response);
• The longer cooperation lasted, the
more important direct
communication with the community
became (that is, in the own channels
of BlaBlaCar).

9. Key messages during the cooperation period

10. Not everything can be
planned!

11. Unscheduled events and topics
As the PR Agency that supports
BlaBlaCar we undertook ("proactively")
topics written out in strategy, but in the
course of cooperation, with increasing
brand awareness of BlaBlaCar, in the
media more and more often appeared
topics, to which we had to respond
quickly and efficiently ("reactive"). Such
- potentially critical - topics included:
• Insurance of drivers in case of an
unfortunate incident in which the
victim is a passenger of BlaBlaCar,
who shares the cost of travel.
• The issue of the tax liability of the
driver who carries a passenger.
• Mixing issues of shared rides with
quasi-taxi applications by media; all
the allegations made by taxi
organizations to Uber, can backfire
on BlaBlaCar.
• Issues related to the introduction of
booking fees.

12. Effects? Magnificent!

13. 2887 of publications
In the period from May 2013 to July 2016 (39 months of cooperation)

14. 74/ per month
The average number of publications andreferences per month throughoutthe entire period of
cooperation

15. Achieved commercial impact:

16. Achieved commercial impact:

17. Results and key messages

18. Who talked about BlaBlaCar - examples:

19. 36 449 157 zł */**
Value of advertising equivalent
* we exclude from his sum infos on: blogs, in social media, comments,
because as the agency we were not responsible for the social channels;
** we do not consider this as an important indicator, but give it for reference to those who may have different opinion.

20. Embodiment of success
When your 50+ year –old- aunt tells you
at the family meeting, that she came by
BlaBlaCar ...
It happened after several months of
cooperation. We felt,
that we’ve been doing our job well.

21. Summary

22. Summary
• The results in the form of
publications appeared almost
immediately due the relative novelty
of the service (the current
competition failed to break through
to the media before)
• The results were coming in time and
their distinct aggravation occurred
after 12 months of cooperation;
apogee in the number of quality
publications took place at the turn of
the 2nd and 3rd year of cooperation
• After a period of steady growth
there occurred flattening in the
number of publications, which
coincided with the growing role of
BlaBlaCar’s own channels (together
with an increase in the number of
users of BlaBlaCar); the growing role
of social media caused that
publications in the media slowly
began to lose their importance (after
approximately 3 years from the start
of cooperation with the agency)

23. Key factors of success
• BlaBlaCar fulfills the promises it made
- users actually ride cheaper, drivers
reduce costs, and service unites
them;
• methodical implementation of
communication strategies planned
for various stages; fixation through
communication in key media benefits
throughout the entire period of
cooperation;
• the consistent use of the term
"shared rides" (both in PR and in
advertisements) thereby making it
the generic name and sweeping out
the previous name carpooling,
appropriated by the competition;
• successful cooperation of agency the
Customer; high quality of contact,
mutual trust and "playing for one
goal";
• apart from activities in the field of
Media Relations - simultaneous
running the advertising campaigns
(of varying intensity and coverage
during the period of cooperation)
and ensuring high quality of
published content in the social media
(these components – on the
Customer side).

24. Magdalena Górak
tel.: 608 720 649
e-mail: magda@profeina.pl
ul. Patriotów 77/15
04-966 Warszawa