--- title: "Polaris: Built brand trust and drove dealer traffic" description: "Culture Cartel ran brand marketing, campaigns, content and dealer support for Polaris off-road vehicles across Southern Africa, from Johannesburg." canonical: https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/polaris language: en-CA publisher: Culture Cartel --- Polaris # Polaris Built brand trust. Drove dealer traffic. Levelled up the category. - **Client:** Polaris - **Format:** Brand - **Industry:** [Powersports and Outdoor](https://www.culturecartel.ca/industries/powersports-marketing-agency) - **Location:** Johannesburg, South Africa - **Year:** 2020 ![A Polaris side-by-side throwing dust across a desert track](https://www.culturecartel.ca/_frames/m/polaris.webp) Brand · Campaigns · Content · Dealer Polaris · Southern Africa · from Johannesburg Built on *the ride*. Scroll 1. 01 / The insight Spec sheets don’t create desire. Powersports is a passion category. The audience knows exactly what it wants. The feeling of being on the machine sells it, so every piece of work started there. 2. 02 / Campaigns Built on the ride. Every campaign started from the experience of being on a Polaris. Not the specs. Not the features. The feeling. 3. 03 / Content Made to get people outside. Photography, video and social that put people in the dirt, on the trail, in the landscape. 4. 04 / Activations In the places they ride. We put the product in front of the right people, where they ride, so the experience did the selling. 5. 05 / Dealer support Through the dealer door. Campaigns and materials that pushed people into dealerships across Southern Africa. The full story Services - Campaigns - Content studio - Video - Social - Brand activations Practice - [Campaigns & Content](https://www.culturecartel.ca/services#campaigns-and-content) - [Strategy & Brand](https://www.culturecartel.ca/services#brand) - [Experiences](https://www.culturecartel.ca/live) Live links - [Polaris](https://www.polaris.com) [Start a project like this](https://www.culturecartel.ca/start?service=campaigns-and-content&ref=polaris) ## The brief Polaris builds off-road vehicles for work and for the outdoor life. In Southern Africa it had a full product range, a growing market and a brand that deserved to be more famous than it was. Culture Cartel ran its brand marketing and campaign strategy across the region. ## The insight Powersports is a passion category. The audience knows exactly what it wants and is not easily impressed. Spec sheets do not create desire. The feeling of being on the machine does. The work also had to win serious off-road enthusiasts without losing the lifestyle buyers the brand needed. ## The work ### Campaigns built on the ride Every campaign started from the experience of being on a Polaris. Not the specs. Not the features. The feeling. ### Content that gets people outside Photography, video and social content made to put people in the dirt, on the trail, in the landscape. ### Activations in the right places We put the product in front of the right people, in the environments where they ride, so the experience did the selling. ### Dealer support Campaigns and materials that pushed people through dealer doors across the region. ## The result Dealer traffic went up. Brand awareness followed. The category moved. The numbers followed the work. Ride along ## Take the ride. One lap around a Polaris RANGER, nose to tail, over the cage and through the cab. Scroll to ride. 1. ![A Polaris RANGER Diesel Crew in sage green on a dark studio floor, seen from far off the front corner](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/work/polaris/ride/ranger-ride-01-v2.webp) 01 / The machine Built for work and the outdoor life. In Southern Africa, Polaris had a full product range, a growing market and a brand that deserved to be more famous than it was. 2. ![Looking down on the RANGER from high above the front, the hood and roll cage below](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/work/polaris/ride/ranger-ride-02-v2.webp) 3. ![Low in front of the RANGER, the front bumper and grille close up](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/work/polaris/ride/ranger-ride-03-v2.webp) 02 / Front end Not easily impressed. Powersports is a passion category. The audience knows exactly what it wants. 4. ![Down the side of the RANGER, the camera banked into the turn, a front tyre in the foreground](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/work/polaris/ride/ranger-ride-04-v2.webp) 5. ![Inside the RANGER’s cab, looking forward between the seats to the dash and wheel](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/work/polaris/ride/ranger-ride-05-v2.webp) 03 / The cab The feeling sells it. Spec sheets do not create desire. The feeling of being on the machine does. 6. ![Low behind the RANGER’s cargo bed, the rear tyres and suspension close up](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/work/polaris/ride/ranger-ride-06-v2.webp) 04 / Underneath Enthusiasts and lifestyle buyers. The work had to win serious off-road enthusiasts without losing the lifestyle buyers the brand needed. 7. ![The RANGER in a three-quarter view from the front left, sage green hood and fenders lit against the black](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/work/polaris/ride/ranger-ride-07-v2.webp) 05 / The result The category moved. Dealer traffic went up. Brand awareness followed. Polaris and RANGER belong to their owner and appear here only to identify the brand the work was for (see our [legal disclaimer](https://www.culturecartel.ca/legal-disclaimer)). The vehicle is a 3D model, shown for illustration. Project highlights ![Polaris off-road vehicle in an outdoor landscape](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/w/f79f2c_1e5cbc6199294bbb-1920.webp) 01 / Polaris off-road vehicle in an outdoor landscape ![Polaris side-by-side campaign image](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/w/f79f2c_50646ffdf84d4d55-1200.webp) 02 / Polaris side-by-side campaign image ![Polaris riders on an off-road trail](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/w/f79f2c_2cf3381e813641ca-1200.webp) 03 / Polaris riders on an off-road trail ![Polaris Southern Africa campaign creative](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/w/f79f2c_72cdc2f5db3648c1-1024.webp) 04 / Polaris Southern Africa campaign creative ![Polaris ATV lifestyle photography](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/w/f79f2c_44d59196a90a44ca-1200.webp) 05 / Polaris ATV lifestyle photography ![Polaris vehicle in the dirt, campaign still](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/w/f79f2c_0d05ce8116124971-1920.webp) 06 / Polaris vehicle in the dirt, campaign still ![Polaris activation and dealer marketing visual](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/w/f79f2c_1330dc62304f49bd-1200.webp) 07 / Polaris activation and dealer marketing visual ![Polaris outdoor lifestyle campaign image](https://www.culturecartel.ca/media/w/f79f2c_32d2ace2e9f44db8-1200.webp) 08 / Polaris outdoor lifestyle campaign image Results described qualitatively. ## Start a project like this. Ideas that travel, made at the speed culture moves. Tell us where you are and where you need to be. [Start a Project](https://www.culturecartel.ca/start?service=campaigns-and-content&ref=polaris) [Ask about this project](https://www.culturecartel.ca/lens?mode=ask&ref=polaris) Related work - [Linhai](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/linhai): Powering the #1 selling value-class all-terrain brand in South Africa. · **#1** Selling value-class quad and side-by-side brand in South Africa · Brand / Powersports and Outdoor / Johannesburg / 2022 - [Club Car](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/club-car): Full marketing and dealer support for a global golf and utility vehicle leader. · Brand / Golf and Utility Vehicles / South Africa / 2022 - [Kubota](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/kubota): The strategic engine behind a category-leading brand. · **80+** Dealers supported across Southern Africa · Brand / Agriculture and Power Equipment / Johannesburg / 2021 [Next project CMO Council Circle We turned an advisory board into a private network on WhatsApp. Keep scrolling](https://www.culturecartel.ca/work/cmo-council-na-circle) --- Culture Cartel, 8 The Esplanade, Toronto, ON M5E 0A6. info@culturecartel.ca, +1 647 459 2154. Start a project: https://www.culturecartel.ca/start