THE PROBLEM

Great Wall Motors, like many other Chinese automobile companies, was making a full line of vehicles. Great Wall was marketing nine different models and losing to its competition.

We started working for Great Wall Motors in 2009 in conjunction with RIES China, our affiliate in Shanghai. Great Wall Motors was one of five large Chinese automobile companies.

RIES SESSION RECOMMENDATIONS

• Focus the entire company on one model: Haval, the company’s SUV
• Chinese research showed that most customers preferred sedans, which meant other companies would focus their resources on sedans, leaving Great Wall with the opportunity to dominate the SUV category
• Create a typical Haval advertisement with the slogan: “Haval: The leader in economical SUVs under 100,000 RMB” (about $14,000)