Another major award for DVLA with Seat Ecomotive campaign

SEAT’s ultra-frugal Ecomotive range – comprising some of the very lowest polluting new cars on sale in the UK – has helped the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) pick up yet another major marketing strategy award.

At the prestigious European Business Awards in Rome, the DVLA’s innovative campaign to encourage greater use of its Electronic Vehicle Licensing (EVL) service beat rival strategies from companies such as Sony, Societe Generale and ScotRail to take a Ruban d’Honneur accolade.

The campaign began last year with a simple idea to encourage more people to renew their road fund licence online or by telephone – everyone who did so was automatically entered into a free prize draw to win a SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive. Three were given away each month, with every car owner in the country made aware of the campaign through posted renewal reminders as well as through a heavyweight advertising campaign.

More recently, the Leon Ecomotive became the monthly prize car, while the second generation Ibiza Ecomotive, which has just gone on sale in the UK, is the next giveaway. This ultra-economical supermini has official carbon dioxide emissions of just 98 g/km – the joint lowest of any four-seater car on the market – with remarkably high combined fuel economy of 76.4 mpg. But with its Luc Donckerwolke-penned sporty design and keen driving dynamics, the Ecomotive range is very much ‘Lowering Emissions Not Emotions’.

Of the car manufacturers expressing an interest in partnering the DVLA, the Government agency once again picked SEAT as the ideal prize-car partner thanks to its environmentally sensitive range of vehicles and desirable brand image.

This is not the first award the DVLA has won through its partnership with SEAT. Last November it took the bigmouthmedia Marketing Strategy of the Year Award category at The National Business Awards, also for the successful promotion of its EVL in partnership with SEAT.

On accepting the award Andrew Rhodes, Director of Products and Services at the DVLA, said: ‘I would like to take this opportunity to thank SEAT for having the vision to see that such an innovative partnership with a Government body can be a success. The relationship with SEAT has been an excellent one and has delivered great benefits for both organisations.’

Rob Taylor, National Communications Manager for SEAT UK, was also thrilled with the award: ‘What a great result for both the DVLA and for SEAT – by supplying cars free of charge to the DVLA for its prize draw giveaway, we are not only helping the Agency in its quest to improve the numbers of people renewing their road tax online or by phone, but also promoting our low-emission range of Ecomotive models.’