The Brief

We wanted to turn the Volkswagen Beetle from a nostalgic memory to a 21st Century icon. Our task was to launch the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle and create awareness that the iconic shape was back.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

To launch and celebrate the return of the Volkswagen Beetle, we created Beetleing - the act of imitating the Beetle’s iconic shape in an unlikely or unusual location. Volkswagen NZ’s Facebook page provided an incentive, by way of a promo where people could Beetle to win The Beetle and share Beetleing with their friends. With a current Facebook fan base at around 2,000, we were given the ambitious task of 20,000 new fans.

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

With no seeding budget and over the four weeks of the campaign we reached close to 3million people, which is almost ¾ of New Zealand. Volkswagen NZ’s Facebook fans grew tenfold, we exceeded our target and The Beetle sold out even before it arrived in the country. More importantly the icon was talked about again. Especially by our lucky winner.

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

It was a relevant and unique way to promote the new shape of The Beetle that also embodied the fun value of the Beetle brand.