Automobile manufacturer Citroën used mobile to build brand awareness around the launch of its new C5 among technologically-savvy consumers.

Citroën and its creative agency, OMD, teamed up with Yahoo on the Vodafone Live portal to help launch the French automaker's new Citroën C5 model aimed at high-income males ages 30-59.

"The company [Citroën] was looking to shift brand perceptions and the image of Citroën via innovative, premium-based placement on mobile," said Zealous Wiley, spokesman at Yahoo, Sunnyvale, CA. "They succeeded in creating a lift in purchase intent and brand favorability.

"Citroën wanted a campaign where users immersed themselves within the brand," he said.

To launch the new Citroën C5 model, the company wanted to first shift brand perceptions and image of Citroën to a more premium brand.

The campaign targeted influential early adopters via premium placements and focused on male users who are interested in business, sports, news, technology and being first in-the-know.

Yahoo has seen keen interest among advertisers in the automotive category to engage with mobile advertising, as evidenced by Ford and Jaguar's campaigns on Yahoo.

For Citroën's campaign, a targeted approach was assured via demographically targeted banners on Vodafone Live and sponsorship of the motoring section, a first by any brand.

The ads drove users to the Citroën mobile site, where they were able to view vehicle specifications and interiors, download Citroën video content, take quizzes, locate dealerships in the their area, and request a brochure and test drive.

Throughout the campaign, Citroën is said to have seen high levels of user engagement and a significant lift in purchase intent, building pre-release interest among its key audience and leading to a significant increase in brand favorability and awareness.

Citroën's experience shows that a coordinated, highly visible mobile advertising campaign leads to engagement as well as results.

Yahoo has done campaigns for many other large brands.

Ford Motor Co. rolled out a campaign to promote its Ford Flex with mobile as a highly visible component of its campaign across channels, including print.

Ford and its Team Detroit agency focused efforts on creating new applications for the Apple iPhone and Yahoo. The car company is also running banner ads on Yahoo Go (see story).

Also, General Mills' Chex Mix and Japanese automaker Toyota are advertising on Yahoo's Fantasy Football mobile experience (see story).

"Mobile is an ideal way to reach a technologically savvy audience -- in this case, Citroën's target demographic of high-income males between the ages of 30-59," Mr. Wiley said.

"The campaign ran across the Vodafone Life Homepage, and was also placed on the cars section of the Vodafone Live portal, providing great reach for the campaign," he said.