2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

With a fairly low presence in the region Volkswagen needed to get potential customers test driving their cars and interacting with the brand.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We created an activation that got people into a Volkswagen immediately: The Instant Test Drive. An online 3D sound experience using binaural recording that allowed people to instantly test drive a Volkswagen anytime, anywhere. We sent 3,000 SMS that transported people into a dangerous jungle in the Congo, a chaotic inner city drive or a race around the Nuremberg track. Listeners could then book a real test drive and even automatically call their nearest dealer there and then. We even turned media channels like radio and social media, into instant test drives, always directing them to the website to book a real test-drive.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

By creating an experience that lives purely inside peoples’ minds we are able to directly target a wide range of people all at the same time. Within hours, hundreds of people were instantly test driving our cars all over the Middle East. Over 50,000 people interacted with the brand experience; SMS click through rates reached 43%, and over 5,300 people shared it online. And best of all – we generated a 12% increase in actual test-drives across showrooms in the region.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

In true Volkswagen spirit, we thought small and did things a little differently. We created fun and completely unique experiences that captured the audiences’ attention, driving them to sign up to a real test drive in an easy and effortless way, instantly.