How KRFL Plans to Fix Congested, Polluted Cities with VW
Earlier in December, Volkswagen Group’s mobility startup MOIA announced the ‘MOIA: Social Movement’, a ride-pooling concept launched one year after the creation of the brand.
Amsterdam creative agency KRFL was tasked with creating the name, visual identity, branding, VR experience, tagline and the launch campaign for MOIA’s electric ride sharing car.
LBB’s Alex Reeves sat down with Hesling Reidinga, ECD at KRFL, to find out more about the agency’s input on the project.
LBB> Can you tell us how deep into the project KRFL's input went?
Hesling Reidinga> KRFL has been involved with the project before it even had a name. We’ve worked together with the team from Germany to develop the MOIA brand name, visual identity, brand fundamentals and launch kit. In parallel, the service and the vehicle were developed to be presented at TechCrunch in Berlin this December.
LBB> As I understand it, MOIA is being positioned as more convenient and efficient than a regular taxi service and more comfortable than a bus. What were the main considerations around that?
HR> I think over the past years we’ve seen a revolution in ride hailing (taxi) services using the power of new technologies and algorithms. However big the improvement, none have managed to solve the bigger problem; congested and polluted cities. MOIA believes we can move more quickly, freely and economically by sharing the ride and by doing so, cities will become cleaner and more pleasant to be in. The biggest challenge was to create a vehicle that would actually make sharing an enjoyable experience.
LBB> What were the major creative decisions, and can you talk about the journey you took to come to them?
HR> There are many features and benefits that MOIA has to offer. But for the launch we had to focus on one thing that the audience can truly relate to. So instead of talking about the amazing service, the revolutionary design, the environmental benefits or cheap costs, we chose to lead with a bold promise to take a million cars of the road by 2025. This message is not only surprising coming from a car manufacturer, it also sums up MOIA’s brand mission which is ‘to return cities to the people’.
LBB> What were the most challenging parts of the project to communicate?
HR> The most challenging part was actually the secrecy around the development of the vehicle. It meant we only had access to the vehicle and the details of the service at the very last moment, giving us a very tight window to produce all assets needed for the launch.
LBB> What, for you, is the most compelling thing about the future MOIA is proposing?
HR> The way we think about mobility really has to change if we want more liveable cities in the future, and this is a very important step towards that.
MOIA is a big and bold vision for how cities can operate in the future. We needed to kit them out with an equally exciting and bold vision, which we expressed through the line ‘social movement’ – a vision that shows how mobility can affect everyone, and how everyone’s involvement is required if we are to positively change things.
