Mazda and VIRTUE Rethink Traditional Car Reviews Through the Eyes of Next Generation Designers

Celebrating the release of its first all-electric vehicle, Mazda invited future-forward product designers to review the MX-30. Mazda appointed VIRTUE, the agency born from VICE, to get design-savvy people excited about their electric car and see Mazda as the car manufacturer that leads in design thinking.

The MX-30 brings Mazda's vision for future mobility to life. A vision that is based on a 'human modern' approach to design, setting itself apart from the futuristic aesthetics that inform most electric vehicles to date.

In The Design Review, product designers Rachel Griffin and Wisse Trooster explore the Mazda MX-30, unpack its most distinctive design elements, and discuss their own views on future design. This campaign reinvents the traditional review by a car expert. Instead of judging the car's features using technical language, the two designers look at the MX-30 as a sustainability-driven embodiment of Mazda's Kodo design philosophy - born from timeless Japanese principles of craftsmanship and minimalism.

"Kodo is about creating cars that embody the dynamic beauty of life – cars that visually suggest different expressions of this energy.” says Jo Stenuit, European design director at Mazda. “We see the new Mazda MX-30 as a key opportunity to spark the interest of the design-savvy and start building a relationship. The team at VIRTUE has cleverly used cultural insights and passion points to create a campaign that speaks the language of our desired audience.”

Abigail Persico, strategy director Western Europe at VIRTUE says: “With Mazda’s first all-electric vehicle, we saw an opportunity to connect with design-savvy people in their language and open up a larger conversation about the ways in which design contributes to how we curate our lifestyle. There is no doubt that Kodo resonates with the aspirations of next-gen drivers looking to adopt an uncluttered and future-conscious lifestyle. We are incredibly proud to partner with Mazda as their philosophy speaks to today's Zeitgeist of living.”

The campaign, launching across Europe, consists of a hero film with the designers' review, and a series of photographs highlighting the aesthetics of the MX-30. The assets were conceived mainly for digital channels (of Mazda, the designers, and partner sites) to reach the target audience where they get their inspiration. 

This campaign is the first project of a longer-term partnership between Mazda and Virtue to help the brand engage in culturally relevant storytelling to build consumer engagement across Europe.