Project Lead Advertising And Digital Communication
Audi Ag
Wil Giezenaar
Manager Marketing And Communication
Audi Netherlands
Stefan Van Caldenberg
Marketing And Communication
Audi Netherlands
The Brief
The task was to draw attention to the newly launched Audi A8 and to generate both test drives and sales for it. The major challenge: activating a target group that is hard to reach and hard to convince.
Among the campaign recipients are owners of the predecessor Audi A8, interested individuals who eagerly requested information about new Audi models as well as customers of competitor brands in the luxury saloon market.
The campaign strategy was to activate customers immediately and cement the relationship with them by communicating the brand’s technological aspiration.
Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation
We developed the Audi Test Drive Cube, a device that brings the premiere of the new Audi A8 directly to the customer.
Audi dealers personally handed it over to selected recipients. To attain a high activation level, we designed the Cube with an original start-stop button on the top and a red LED front display. The integrated GPS and GSM module was not visible.
Activating the Cube starts the countdown and sends the geographic coordinates to Audi. After 90 minutes, the new Audi A8 is delivered right to the customer by a nearby Audi dealer for a 24-hour test drive.
Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results
The campaign strengthens customer loyality to Audi and its dealers. The brand’s image was clearly communicated to the exclusive Audi A8 target group.
This fact was quantifiable: In the first six weeks, we achieved a 100% response rate. That means every single Cube delivered generated a test drive. Almost every fifth customer who activated the Cube bought a new Audi A8, marking a conversion rate of 19%. Most of these customers directly bought exactly the Audi A8 they test drove.
Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service
Acting on the brief, we looked for a powerful way to activate customers and get them directly to the Audi retailers. The solution for the new Audi A8 was to completely reinvent the customary drive-to-retail approach and turn the process around. The target group deserves an exclusive, exciting service: the customers should be able to decide when the car is coming to them. This service establishes a personal relationship with the dealer.
We developed an innovative device that makes this possible in the communicative style of Audi. The Audi Test Drive Cube represents progressive technology and proves Vorsprung durch Technik.