Title	MCLAREN: ARTURA LAUNCH
Brand	MCLAREN
Product/Service	LIVE CAR LAUNCH
Category	D02. Use of Events & Stunts
Entrant	MEDIA.MONKS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	MEDIA.MONKS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation 2	MCLAREN MARKETING Surrey, UNITED KINGDOM
Production	MEDIA.MONKS London, UNITED KINGDOM
Additional Company	CONNECT Wolverhampton, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
XX XX	XX	XX

Why is this work relevant for PR?

How do you launch the next-generation hybrid supercar when your customers (and fans) can't leave their homes? With no big car-show to grab our audience’s attention, McLaren chose an innovative departure from the standard car launch trajectory. The new Artura was launched virtually with a spectacular event, broadcast live on YouTube and cars.mclaren.com to a global audience.

Background

In February 2021, McLaren launched their all-new hybrid supercar, the Artura – ‘the full force of McLaren’. The culmination of a difficult year (where fans and buyers were locked-down at home), this launch was seen as a critical point at McLaren, showing that the company was focusing on the future. It was also their first 100% virtual car launch, and they wanted an experience that wasn’t just a digital replica of a car show – they were after a live show that surpassed physical car launches and made the most of the digital format.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

A globally broadcast, live-streamed virtual show to launch Artura, the next generation supercar. First, we honoured its heritage with a cinematic heritage walkthrough voiced by CEO Mike Flewitt, highlighting the importance of this launch and shifting McLaren’s focus to the future. Culminating in a virtual reveal, a spectacular audiovisual show teasing the car bit by bit – set in a zoetrope-like circle of LED totems, staged at McLaren HQ, featuring brand ambassador & F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo. The dynamic light show was an abstract interpretation of the McLaren ‘force’ and the electric power of this hybrid supercar. An epic soundtrack featured mixed-in voices and industrial sounds symbolising man & machine coming together in a fusion of forces, as the car was revealed to the virtual audience.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

With events and tradeshows cancelling it was time to focus on digital native experiences leveraging online behavior and platforms. McLaren fans across the globe had been looking forward to the launch after a difficult year and they were in for a treat. The key objective was to put McLaren back where it belongs on the forefront of luxury automotive, and we did this by generating excitement and interest for the Artura, through a live broadcast that showed science and magic coming together to form the supercar of the future.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

Managed closely together with the client team, we engaged McLaren’s global audience on owned platforms in the lead-up to the event. With a large audience anticipating the launch, social was used to both heighten the excitement and also extend reach in the days and weeks that followed. While the event took place on an owned platform the visual spectacle was seen all across the web.

List the results (30% of vote)

With over 800,000 people interacting with the campaign and over 40,000 requesting further information, it was McLaren's biggest ever launch, surpassing all benchmarks. We unleashed the full power of digital