Marketing strategy for an international launch: a long-term car hire service – our case study 

Imagine a company that has been helping people start a new life abroad for over 10 years, literally “with the keys in hand”. It doesn’t just provide a car — it offers the opportunity to earn a living and settle in. This project is a long-term car hire service in Poland, which is planning to enter the UK market. 

But even for companies that have been in the market for a long time, there comes a point when growth hits a ceiling. That’s exactly what happened here: the business had scaled up, the advertising was working, but monthly growth began to slow, and expanding into London required a completely different approach.

The team then approached us at Solve Marketing with a strategic enquiry:

“Scale up the business in Poland and research the market before launching services in a new country.”

How much time did it take to develop the strategy?	200 hours, 6 working weeks
What was the composition of the marketing strategy development team?	Head of Marketing Team, Head of PM Team, Head of Content Team, 2 Operations Marketers, SMM Marketer, Head of PPC Department, PPC Facebook, SMM Marketer.
How was the result of the work used?	Independent implementation by the client’s team.

We started with the basics: analysis and research. And then we did what we do best: we developed a comprehensive marketing strategy tailored to the business’s objectives.

We have signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), so the client will remain anonymous in this case. 

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Product, value, objectives

This business operates at the intersection of two worlds: the European market and new opportunities for migrant workers. At its core is car hire, which opens the door to a steady income through platforms such as Uber or Bolt.

Over 80% of customers use their cars for taxi work, whilst the rest use them for personal purposes. But it’s not just about the figures; it’s about the model: the company handles the entire process end-to-end — from paperwork to after-sales support, even when repairs are needed.

Value for customers:

• Quick start: get started in 1 day.Legalisation: assistance with permits and contracts.Security: technical support.Comfort: new cars, high-quality service.Loyalty schemes: ‘Refer a friend’, long-term bonuses.
• Легалізація: допомога з дозволами, контрактами.
• Безпека: техпідтримка.
• Комфорт: нові авто, якісне обслуговування.
• Програми лояльності: «Приведи друга», довгострокові бонуси.

The company already operates in 20+ cities across Poland, has partnerships with Uber, Bolt and FreeNow, its own fleet of new cars and the most flexible terms on the market. Yet, despite this, its growth began to slow in 2024.

Our task was clear:

• to ensure steady growth in the Polish market: 10–11 per cent per month, reaching 1,000 active customers (previously fewer than 500);
  
• carry out a full audit and prepare for entry into the UK market: choose the right service, vehicle, terms and target audience.

Has the business entered a new phase, but has further growth slowed down? Now is the time for a systematic marketing strategy. We help to bring together disparate tactical initiatives into a cohesive system for growth. 

Market analysis: Poland and the UK

Before scaling up, it is important to answer one simple question:

Is the market willing to pay for your offer?

To successfully enter a new market, it is crucial to develop a strategy that takes into account local characteristics and the specific nature of demand. That is why we began with a key stage — an in-depth market analysis — which enabled us to make well-founded decisions rather than relying on assumptions.
⠀
📍 In Poland, the taxi market is entering a phase of transformation: in 2025, it will reach US$162.18 million, however, a decline is subsequently expected at an annual rate of -2.48% (CAGR 2025–2029), whilst at the same time the number of users will grow. This does not signify a decline, but rather a transformation and an opportunity for those who adapt.

We have identified several significant trends:

• Shortage of drivers due to new rules (only those with a Polish licence).An increasingly large segment of migrants for whom taxis are the starting point.The trend towards environmental friendliness and electric vehicles, which are already part of our client’s fleet.The growth of the gig economy, where people are looking for extra work and flexibility.
• Щораз вищий сегмент мігрантів, для яких таксі — стартова точка.
• Тренд на екологічність та електромобілі, які вже є в парку нашого клієнта.
• Ріст gig-економіки, де люди шукають підробітки та гнучкість.

One of the insights — most Polish drivers are unaware that they can hire a car specifically for use as a taxi. This is confirmed by search data: the number of Google searches for ‘car hire’ significantly exceeds those for ‘taxi hire’. This isn’t a problem, but an opportunity — you don’t have to find these customers, you can create them.

📍At the same time, we began researching the London market. It was a completely different world:

• complex regulatory framework, in particular TfL (Transport for London);strict requirements regarding licences, vehicle types and environmental standards;a focus on electric transport (ULEZ zone, restrictions on internal combustion engines);More than 70 per cent of journeys are for distances of up to 5 km, which makes electric cars even more cost-effective.
• високі вимоги до ліцензій, типів авто, екологічності;
• акцент на електротранспорт (зона ULEZ, обмеження на ДВЗ);
• більше 70% поїздок — на відстань до 5 км, що робить електрокари ще вигіднішими.

І водночас величезний потенціал у сегменті PHV (private hire vehicles), який залишається відкритим для нових учасників.

Ми провели різні види аналізу, включно з цифровими трендами, демографією, бар’єрами входу, цінами, очікуваннями водіїв.

An overview of points of contact

Ми завжди починаємо з глибокого занурення в сам проєкт: аналізуємо внутрішні процеси, логіку продукту, воронку взаємодії та підходи команди. Це дає змогу побачити, де саме втрачається потенціал, які системи вже працюють добре, а які потребують покращення. 

Такий аудит дає чітке розуміння, із чим працювати: на його основі формуємо гіпотези, визначаємо зони росту та будуємо структуру покращень, яку потім закладаємо в стратегію.

At the start of the collaboration, the project already had:

• website;social media;paid advertising, which consistently attracted customers;a few basic presentations for internal use.
• соцмережі;
• платну рекламу, яка стабільно залучала клієнтів;
• кілька базових презентацій для внутрішніх потреб.

🟡When we launched the website, our first thought was:

“It lacks that sense that the product “is alive”, — it’s as if it’s still at the concept stage”.

The website provided basic information but failed to establish an emotional connection with the brand. It offered neither a story nor a clear answer to the user’s key question: why should I choose this particular company out of dozens of similar ones?

🟡 Social media is updated irregularly, without a clear strategy or visual consistency. TikTok has potential, but it’s not being utilised. Instagram is more of a token effort than a means of building trust.

All in all, it’s a bit like a car with a good engine that won’t start because the battery is flat.

We began with an audit, which immediately answered some strategically important questions:

• Does the website inspire trust in a user seeing it for the first time?Is the value of the product apparent from the very first few seconds?Are customer acquisition channels being used effectively, rather than just ‘for show’?Where exactly is the business failing to realise its potential, and how can this be changed?
• Чи зчитується цінність продукту з перших секунд?
• Чи використовуються канали залучення ефективно, а не «для галочки»?
• Де саме бізнес втрачає свій потенціал і як це змінити?

Such an audit is a diagnostic assessment that marks the start of growth.

🟡 At the same time, we analysed lead generation and noticed a discrepancy: 70% of traffic comes from paid sources. At the same time, the conversion rate on the website is approximately 8%, which indicates the quality of the audience, but also a reliance on paid acquisition.

There was no system in place for engaging with the audience after the initial contact:

• relevant SEO content;high-quality retargeting;audience segmentation.
• якісного ретаргетингу;
• сегментації аудиторії.

This made ice generation an expensive process that could not be scaled up. 

🟡At the client’s request, we carried out an analysis of their Google Ads account. We also provided recommendations on how to improve its effectiveness.

Do you have a website and social media accounts, but are they failing to attract customers?
We can help you turn your digital presence into a real tool for growth!

Competitor analysis

In many sectors, customers make their choices based on emotion or their overall impression. But the car hire market is an exception. Here, decisions are made rationally: users compare the terms and conditions of different companies in detail. And even a slight difference — in hire periods, the amount of the deposit or fuel bonuses — can be the deciding factor.

When we began our analysis of the competition, it became clear that there was not just one battlefield, but several:

• Some companies have their own fleet of vehicles, whilst others act merely as intermediaries;some are aimed at Ukrainians, whilst others focus on working with Poles;Some people simply rent out their cars, whilst others go a step further by creating communities and producing content.
• одні орієнтовані на українців, інші — на роботу з поляками;
• хтось здає лише авто, а хтось ще й підсилює пропозицію: створенням спільнот, контенту.

We carried out a comprehensive analysis of our competitors — from websites and social media to positioning, visual style and product promotion strategies.

To carry out a comprehensive analysis of our competitors, we brought in two specialists: a content marketer and a strategic marketer. The former focused on visual presentation, messaging and engagement formats, whilst the latter focused on strategic differences, engagement mechanisms and decision-making factors.

We’ll carry out an in-depth analysis of the niche, competitors and decision-making factors to develop a unique selling proposition that works and attracts customers. Book a free assessment to find out what really influences purchasing decisions in your specific sector.

Strategies for key areas: content, lead generation, social media

Після проведеного аналізу проєкту стало зрозуміло, що комунікаційна система працює фрагментовано. Контент — сам собою, без прив’язки до воронки. Соцмережі — радше присутність, ніж інструмент залучення. Лідогенерація — без синхронізації з меседжами бренда.

Щоб це виправити, ми вибудували стратегічну систему, яка об’єднує канали в єдиний шлях для користувача — від першого дотику до заявки.

And they set this out in three separate documents:

1. Content strategy — to create value and boost brand awareness.
2. Lead generation strategy — to ensure a steady flow of high-quality leads.
3. SMM strategy — to ensure that social media acts as a fully-fledged channel for building trust and engagement.

Basic lead generation strategy 

To build an effective lead generation system, you first need to understand the logic behind customers’ decision-making: 

• What does a driver see when looking for a job? What is he afraid of? What format is expected? 
• чого він боїться? 
• якого формату очікує? 

So we built the See–Think–Do–Care funnel at Google and Meta — with content and adverts tailored to each stage: from the initial contact to the re-engagement of ‘warm’ leads.

Each stage features its own creative elements, messages and copy. No generic ‘hire a car’ slogans for everyone — just a precise reflection of a person’s state of mind at that specific moment.

This isn’t just advertising; it’s a targeted approach tailored to the audience’s intentions, so the enquiries aren’t random but the result of precise targeting.

Basic content strategy 

It all began with the idea of building trust and consistently attracting leads not through aggressive sales tactics, but through value. This is how the content foundation came about, which drives growth in SEO traffic, strengthens the brand’s reputation and establishes a systematic approach to lead generation.

The strategy covers three key areas: the website blog, external content and email newsletters.

• The blog as the cornerstone of content marketingContent distribution and multi-channel marketingSEO optimisation and the technical structure of articlesExternal content and placement on partner platformsEmail campaigns and automated lead nurturingKPIs for all areas
• Поширення контенту та мультиканальність
• SEO-оптимізація та технічна структура статей
• Зовнішній контент і розміщення на партнерських платформах
• Розсилки й автоматизовані дотики до лідів
• KPI для всіх напрямів

To ensure that the content strategy works effectively and delivers measurable results, we have aligned it with the lead generation funnel developed previously. 

All content tools are integrated into a single system that supports the potential customer’s journey from the first point of contact through to conversion. For each area, we have clearly outlined the implementation steps and the resources required for implementation.

🟡 In addition to the content strategy, we have developed an SMM strategy to boost audience engagement via social media. The aim is to revitalise activity on Instagram and TikTok, scale up the most successful formats, increase virality and ensure a steady flow of leads.

Main objectives:

• regular content across all platforms;5,000 Instagram followers in a year;every month — 2–4 viral videos on TikTok;at least 20 leads per month from social media;building a brand image that communicates simply, honestly and ‘on an equal footing’.
• 5000 підписників в Instagram за рік;
• щомісяця — 2–4 вірусні відео в TikTok;
• мінімум 20 лідів щомісяця із соцмереж;
• формування іміджу бренда, що говорить просто, чесно та «на рівних».

Are you building your marketing strategy around a single channel? That’s a risk. No business should rely on just one source of income. Book a free consultation — we’ll show you how to build a comprehensive system.

Choice Factors Framework

The next step is to understand what influences customers’ purchasing decisions. We have compiled and categorised these factors so that we can incorporate effective triggers into our marketing.

To do this, we use the decision-making factors framework developed by our team. This tool enables us to identify the real reasons why some companies receive enquiries whilst others go unnoticed, even when they have a strong product.

Each customer makes decisions based on their own unique set of factors. We categorise them into groups that cover the entire customer journey. 

🎯Implementing these decision-making factors in your business = a guaranteed path to growth. This approach provides concrete answers: what changes to make to your website, your offering and your communications in order to achieve systematic growth.

👉 For more details on the method, see in our article with examples and the opportunity to identify the key selection criteria for your business.

Following our research, we identified 140+ selection factors that influence customers’ choices. 

✅ Do you want to understand why your potential customers aren’t choosing you?
We’ll carry out an analysis and help you build a system that effectively meets the customer’s needs even before they make an enquiry. Book a free assessment and find out which decision-making factors drive results in your niche.

A backlog of hypotheses and strategic ideas

Any sound strategy contains assumptions that should be regularly reviewed and adapted to changes in the market, people’s behaviour and new opportunities.

We have therefore produced not just a set of recommendations, but a comprehensive strategic roadmap — comprising hypotheses, tests and areas of focus that can be implemented in stages as a scaling checklist.

We based our approach on the following logic:

• that can be done quickly and inexpensively;that will work for different segments (beginners / experienced users / Poles / other target audience segments);which will help identify areas for growth whilst maintaining control over the budget.
• що спрацює для різних сегментів (новачки / досвідчені / поляки / інші сегменти ЦА);
• що допоможе знайти точки зростання й водночас зберегти контроль над бюджетом.

A strategic backlog is a clearly prioritised tool that guides the team towards a specific goal. He focuses on priorities, brings the team together and translates strategy into concrete actions. We help to launch, test and scale these actions.

Book a consultation — we’ll show you how the strategy works in a real-world business setting.

Commissioning

Будь-яка стратегія — це не фінішна пряма, а старт нової траєкторії.

Навіть у бізнесу, який давно на ринку, рано чи пізно виникає точка, коли стара модель зростання вичерпує себе. І тоді потрібна маркетингова стратегія, яка допоможе. 

We have laid the foundations for a new system — with clear implementation stages, priorities and tools that enable us to scale up without chaos.

As a result, we managed to:

• To understand why sales become volatile, even when the product is strong.
  
• Identify exactly where the business is losing potential — on the website, in communications, in advertising, or in the sales funnels.
  
• Break down the objectives into specific steps that the team can implement gradually.
• Lay the foundations for scalability, rather than relying on luck.

A marketing strategy is essential for those launching a start-up who want to build a functional system and minimise the financial outlay on testing; for those who have already achieved stability but feel that growth has stalled; and those who have ambition, a team, and momentum, but lack a clear plan to hold everything together and drive results.

Tell us about your goals — and we’ll show you how to build a system to achieve them. During a free consultation, we’ll discuss exactly where you should start.