Communicating to 1.2m UK vehicle owners affected by Volkswagen’s Dieselgate emissions scandal

In 2018, Chesterfield-based law firm Your Lawyers represented 10,000 of the consumers affected by the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal but wanted to attract more claimants to the class-action.

Our team set about raising awareness of the emissions problem, the deadline to claim, and managed to cut through the noise generated by other firms on the steering committee of the case. Our PR and social media campaign for Your Lawyers attracted media and consumer attention, even in the face of the global ad and marketing spend from two competitor firms vying for attention

We used Your Lawyers’ data to calculate total potential money owed across England and Wales as a result of the Dieselgate scandal – emphasising the billions to be claimed against the automotive giant, and then localising it to make it feel tangible to VW owners.

We mapped potential claimants against the latest census data and estimated a potential individual claimant win of £8,500 per person. We developed this into a bespoke infographic to offer as an asset to media.

After securing an exclusive on the infographic with The Sun, we commenced a bespoke regional media relations strategy. We offered regional media contacts data on the potential compensation that could be claimed in their area, an interview with Aman Johal – Lawyer and Director of Your Lawyers, and case studies from people affected, which we prepared in advance.

All regional coverage was then maximised on Your Lawyers’ Facebook page, boosted with a paid advertising campaign to reach each paper’s key demographic and drive click-throughs to the sign-up page.

67

pieces of coverage

200%

increase in new client enquiries

7,454

click throughs to claimant sign up page

Get in touch with the team