Industry: Automotive / Subscription Services
Executive Summary
I designed the full subscription lifecycle communications plan for a global automotive leader to support an MVP launch across European markets. Covering everything from acquisition and onboarding to in-life engagement and renewals, I built a scalable framework from scratch that aligned global brand strategy with local market regulations.
My Role: Communications Lead (Service Design, Journey Mapping, Stakeholder Management, Content Strategy).
Context and Challenge
The organisation was launching a new subscription-based ownership model as an MVP. As this was a fundamental shift for the business, no existing framework existed to support customers beyond the initial point of sign-up.
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The Experience Gap: We needed to design a complete end-to-end journey that offered decision support, ongoing education, and retention moments.
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The Operational Complexity: The system had to manage hundreds of communications across multiple stages while remaining flexible enough to adapt to varying local regulations and dealership service models.
My Approach: Designing for Empathy and Scale
I designed a bespoke communications framework grounded in both customer needs and the operational realities of a global rollout.
The specific steps I took included:
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End-to-End Journey Mapping: I mapped the full subscription experience to identify critical moments where customers required reassurance or specific guidance.
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Intent-Based Structuring: I structured all communications by user intent and timing rather than channel, ensuring the right message reached the customer at the right moment.
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Cross-Functional Coordination: I led the alignment between product, legal, and regional dealership teams to ensure that global messaging remained compliant with local laws and service capabilities.
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Taxonomy Development: I created a clear lifecycle taxonomy and communication principles to ensure the system could scale as the product matured and expanded into new markets.
The Solution: A Modular Lifecycle System
The result was a complete communications ecosystem designed to support both the initial MVP launch and long-term global scaling.
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Full Lifecycle Coverage: The plan included acquisition support, onboarding guidance, in-life servicing reminders, and renewal preparation.
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Empathy-Led Messaging: I embedded specific “reassurance moments” into the content to reduce the friction of navigating a new, unfamiliar ownership model.
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Modular Framework: We used a system of modular templates that allowed for rapid localisation, ensuring the brand voice remained consistent while meeting local market expectations.
The Iteration: Balancing Global Standards and Local Reality
During the design phase, it became clear that a rigid global template would not work due to the diversity of local service models.
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The Feedback: Regional teams needed to adjust messaging based on specific local delivery and maintenance processes.
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The UX Improvement: I pivoted the framework to focus on “intent-led modules.” We defined the core global message for each stage but provided local markets with the flexibility to adapt the “how-to” details.
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The Result: This approach allowed for a successful launch across multiple European markets while maintaining a 100% compliance rate with local regulations.
The Outcome
The project provided the foundation for a new way of interacting with customers throughout the ownership cycle.
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Launch Success: Successfully supported the MVP launch across multiple markets with a clear, end-to-end plan delivered from scratch.
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Scalable Foundation: Created a system that allowed the business to add new markets and lifecycle moments without redesigning the entire framework.
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Improved Confidence: Customer testing showed increased clarity and confidence for those navigating the new subscription model, reducing the volume of support queries during the onboarding phase.