Volkswagen has always been a car company that has marched to a totally different drummer. From its "Think Small" campaign for the Beetle, to "Fahrvergnügen" (OK, maybe not the best slogan of all time), the German automaker has taken a left-handed approach to marketing.
You have to give them credit for being consistently inconsistent. For the launch of its new GTI, VW will do no traditional advertising. Instead, the entire marketing effort for this vehicle is a new iPhone app they've put together in a partnership with Apple.
Their digital marketing guru, Charlie Taylor, insists that their target audience is very wired, favoring digital over broadcast. And the demographics of the iPhone skew heavily toward thirtysomething males. Ergo, a game app that is supposed to carry the campaign, also part of a contest that will give away a new GTI a week for six weeks starting November 2.
As Taylor pointed out to BrandWeek, "This is the entire investment, it is a fraction of the cost for the standard automotive vehicle launch, but we did not do this for financial reasons, we do truly believe that this is one of the new forms of marketing and hyper targeting and digital allows us to do this."
That's an important statement in the annals of advertising, and we will have to wait until the end of this marketing effort to determine its effectiveness. But as a company that has learned a thing or two about branded iPhone apps in the past year, this is very risky business.
The biggest challenge is driving awareness of the app – something that radio has no problem doing when a station or personality launches their application. We see this in our analytics every week. When stations or DJs consistently promote their app, it absolutely drives awareness and downloads.
For some of our non-radio clients, the app business has proved to more precarious because there are so many apps in the store, with hundreds of new ones coming in every week. Without a media partner, it's not an easy putt.
So perhaps this campaign for the GTI is a test case for advertisers and broadcasters alike. If it works, we will most likely see more efforts that bypass broadcast in favor of digital. If it doesn't, it may serve as a reminder that multi-platform campaigns that combine the best that both broadcast and digital have to offer are the preferred ways to go.
If Apple features the GTI app on iTunes and in the App Store, it will help VW's campaign succeed. But keep in mind that even some of the best, most advanced, coolest, techie, and well-known brands regularly use broadcast media to reinforce awareness and sampling.
Just ask Steve Jobs.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
- Radio, It Oughta Be A Crime - November 25, 2024
- Baby, Please Don’t Go - November 22, 2024
- Why Radio Needs To Stop Chasing The Puck - November 21, 2024
Leave a Reply