Title | WHAT DOES BEETLEING EVEN MEME? |
Brand | VOLKSWAGEN |
Product / Service | VW BEETLE |
Category | A06. Best Use of Special Events And Stunt/Live Advertising |
Entrant | SPARK PHD Auckland, NEW ZEALAND |
Media Agency | SPARK PHD Auckland, NEW ZEALAND |
Entrant Company | SPARK PHD Auckland, NEW ZEALAND |
Media Agency 2 | SPARK PHD Auckland, NEW ZEALAND |
Name | Company | Position |
---|---|---|
Matthew Vogts | Sparkactivate | Account Director |
Kristy Mayo | Sparkactivate | Account Director |
Josie Tapper | Sparkactivate | Senior Account Executive |
Rachel Stewart | Spacestation | Media Manager |
Kim Gribble | Spacestation | Media Planner/Buyer |
Polly Williams | Spacestation | Senior Digital Strategist |
Jas Gierlinski | Spacestation | Digital Director |
Elise Stickley | Spacestation | Campaign Manager |
Lara Christie | DDB New Zealand | Account Manager |
Susie Darling | DDB New Zealand | Account Director |
Scott Wallace | DDB New Zealand | Group Business Director |
Sasch Avandelovic | DDB New Zealand | Creative |
Kevin Bachtia | DDB New Zealand | Creative |
Natalie Knight | DDB New Zealand | Creative Director |
Gavin Siakamotu | DDB New Zealand | Creative Director |
Andy Fackrell | DDB New Zealand | Executive Creative Director |
Beetles SOLD OUT at pre-sale stage, contributing $1M+ additional revenue to Volkswagen. Traffic to the site saw a massive 66% increase. The Facebook target was blitzed. 22,000 new fans joined in just four weeks – the equivalent of 7 million people in China when comparing to proportion of population. New Beetle enthusiasts were created, with a 12% database increase. In May, the Marketing Manager of Volkswagen NZ visited Volkswagen HQ in Berlin and presented Beetleing to Volkswagen’s Global Marketing Roundtable. It is being heralded as one of the most innovative launches of Beetle. Ever. Beetleing: a checkered flag for Volkswagen.
Beetleing had to live in our audience’s world. Channels needed to provide social, REAL and geographically relevant experiences. Sparking the fire Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and our ambassadors led the charge. Local A-listers started Beetleing across NZ. From parliament in Wellington to the beaches of Auckland we built intrigue before launching the campaign. Then we fed it A radio partnership then gave us national reach, driving listeners to our Facebook page where we offered the ultimate Beetleing prize. “Beetle” for a Beetle. We took it to the streets. A series of activations at NZ’s busiest locations drove entries and keep gave our meme what it needed most – momentum, content and endorsement. We kept it moving Amazing content did the talking. Online formats pulled in live images of Beetleting, daily print placements showcased the best ‘Beetlers’ and prime time TV activity celebrated NZs Beetlers en masse.
The fun-loving, youthful image of Volkswagen had lost relevance in NZ. Tasked with selling the new Volkswagen Beetle to a next-generation bright young things, the challenge was that they lacked a connection with the iconic car. Nostalgic memories of the summer of ’69 in a bug? No way. What they did love was a good trend, with a local twist. Something with global scale, but relevant on NZ’s streets. Meme: an element of a culture or behaviour that spreads from person to person. We had to be consumer-fuelled and part of their social vernacular. While the rest of the industry talked tech and price we changed gear, dropped all car-talk, and sparked a meme; weaving the Beetle into a social movement. We didn’t need to show the car. We let our meme-influencers do the talking. Beetleing: the act of imitating the Beetle’s iconic shape in unlikely or unusual locations