How I Steered THE OUT to Record-Breaking Revenue

BUSINESS

THE OUT

SERVICES

Strategy, Brand, SEO, PPC, Social Media, CRM

YEAR

2023 – 2024

THE OUT are a luxury car hire startup. Founded by Jaguar Land Rover in 2019, THE OUT has been providing luxury car hire service in London. For 2 years I was their Head of Marketing working across all marketing channels as well as owning the pricing strategy, utilisation forecasting and merchandising.

The car hire industry faced significant challenges in the wake of the pandemic. THE OUT, a prominent player in the luxury car hire market, found itself grappling with a 50% decline in revenue. Through a comprehensive strategy encompassing pricing adjustments, marketing optimisation, and operational enhancements, I helped THE OUT reverse this trend and achieve their most successful revenue-generating year since their inception.

The Challenge

The 50% revenue drop experienced by THE OUT was a symptom of a changing market. Post-pandemic, customer behaviour shifted, with increased emphasis on price sensitivity and a greater demand for international travel. THE OUT’s London only focus coupled with a static pricing model and a lack of targeted marketing efforts left them struggling to compete effectively against larger car rental providers.

The Solution

Strategic Pricing: I introduced a dynamic pricing model, incorporating seasonal adjustments to better align with customer demand and competitor pricing. This involved implementing off-peak and peak pricing, ensuring competitiveness throughout the year.

Marketing Agency Overhaul: A re-evaluation of the paid marketing strategy and budget resulted in a 30% increase in efficiency. This allowed for a reduction in overall paid spend allowing me to reinvest in other high-performing channels.

CRM and Automation: Marketing automation, including abandoned basket emails, was implemented to nurture leads and drive conversions. This resulted in a 200% increase in revenue generated through CRM.

CMS and SEO: A new Content Management System (CMS) was introduced, empowering the marketing team to create and publish targeted landing pages. For example, location-specific pages (e.g., “Range Rover hire at Heathrow”, “Rent a Defender 110 in Surrey”) were developed to capture long-tail search traffic and provide more relevant landing pages for paid marketing and email campaigns. This enhanced their ability to optimise for relevant keywords and improve organic search visibility.

Fleet Optimisation: THE OUT’s fleet mix was analysed and adjusted to better align with current customer preferences. This ensured a stronger product offering that resonated with target audiences.

Conclusion

THE OUT’s success story demonstrates the power of a well-executed, multi-faceted marketing strategy led by changing consumer behaviour leading to a turnaround of revenue from -50% YoY to +40% YoY. By addressing key challenges and capitalising on opportunities, THE OUT not only recovered from a significant revenue decline but was set up to continue growing into the future.