Motorola is a name synonymous with mobile technology. In our ‘mobile first’ world the brand has been ever-present; boasting a backlog of ‘firsts’ including the first mobile phone, the first 5g device, and managing to withstand the test of time watching other mobile brands fall against the wayside. 

James Atkins, Europe Marketing Director at Motorola attributes the brand's longevity to its ability to tune in to its customers; “Motorola’s been around for a long time; you don’t become a brand with such heritage without listening to consumers.” And, its consumers that are at the heart of the brand’s new Power to Empower brand platform; a platform that champions changemakers arming them with technology that has the power to make a serious, impactful difference.

In a world where phones are at the centre of people’s lives, Motorola wanted to show that devices can empower the next generation of thinkers, dreamers, and innovators. Power to Empower aims to bring to life Motorola’s mission to unleash this power the brand has at its fingertips.

Customer Centricity 

The inspiration for the campaign comes directly from the brand's audience. “We looked at the newer consumer generations, the Gen Zs coming through and noticed that there’s a fundamental change in the way they engage with brands and how they engage with each other,” explained Atkins. As a starting point, Motorola had to self-reflect and revisit its capabilities as an organization, considering its strengths as a brand in comparison to the purchase drivers of the market.

“It’s a positive that we didn’t need to make many changes to our business.” said Atkins, “The core values of our organization are things like trustworthiness, innovation, inclusivity and those are things that resonate with a Gen Z, millennial audience.” The real challenge, however, lies in the way that these core values are communicated to customers.

Power to Empower is the brand platform that sits at the heart of Motorola’s strategy and is the embodiment of an attitude Atkins explains was inspired by a demographic the brand defined as “The risers”. “The risers” are not a specific type of person, instead the phrase includes anyone who has “the ability to look past the craziness of the world and against all odds could rise up and achieve something great” he adds. 

Technology enabling change

The brand platform aims to empower users as Motorola strives to provide people with the tools to make impactful change. “Technology is useless without a user. How people use it, that’s what makes it exciting” said Atkins. He adds: “Tech has never been used in the way it was designed to, people are constantly coming up with new ways of using it.” It is this partnership between consumer and technology that the brand wants to showcase. The core idea that while it’s Motorola that makes the tech, users bring it to life and make it magic. 

Motorola as a tech brand aims to make the lives of consumers easier and by being customer-centric and listening, it has been able to improve tech in line with people's needs. Atkins points to the example of ‘Moto Actions’ which enables the user to make movements to activate tech. He explains:  “If a user is in the dark trying to get in the house they can use ‘the karate chop’ that will activate the torch without the need for buttons and help them get in.” Small improvements like these can make a huge impact on people's lives.

Technology is often held accountable for the negative impact it can have on consumers' lives, but the pandemic reinforced the power of connectivity to bring people together. Technology became a lifeline for many during times of lockdown or isolation. “The pandemic was an opportunity for people to relearn how to use devices and changed our relationship with tech,” says Atkins. He continues:  “It was no longer simply a work device, it became a window to the world and we became a nation of creators.” 

Atkins adds: “We showcase this in one of our Power to Empower videos featuring Mitch who up sticks in the pandemic and changed his whole life to pursue his dreams. His whole world is run from his phone - it's enabled his new lifestyle.”

The Power to Empower brand platform acts as a foundation that Motorola aims to grow by continuing to champion creators in its marketing activity. Where product campaigns will continue to feature phones and highlight tech or key features, the brand hopes to continue all activity with this changemaker audience in mind. For Motorola, authenticity is key and by combining product with overarching brand values, the brand hopes to create a deeper relationship with consumers. 

As the campaign continues Atkins strives to “knit together the voices of our customers with our values and make it make sense.” He adds that: “the beauty of this campaign is that it's always evolving. We have our customer voices, we want to pull them together into one Motorola voice.” 

A customer-centric strategy which gives the brand the opportunity to move beyond product benefits in order to create authentic communications that resonate with its diverse audience.