The Brief

In 2014, Porsche launched Macan, a compact SUV that became the new entry-level vehicle in the Porsche model line up. Macan was designed to attract new, younger buyers to Porsche, at the same time reinforcing the brands strong performance, design and technology heritage. Ahead of the national launch, Porsche wanted to drive consumer awareness & public interest, grow their CRM database with new prospects, and ultimately drive pre-order sales. We created a strategy of targeting the right audiences during their social downtime before engaging them with a cutting edge experience that brought to life the Macan’s global tagline ‘Life, Intensified.’

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We identified the perfect place to engage this younger audience: at high end shopping malls as they waited for their movie to begin, or for a table at restaurants. Guests could book their Macan experience in advance and then return at their leisure. To attract even more attention, we ensured our installation lived outdoors, to increase engagement and attract increased foot traffic We also created an entirely new way to craft content within Oculus Rift, which resulted in photorealistic graphics, reduced dizziness, and a far more compelling visual experience than had ever been achieved before.

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

Our campaign engaged over 4000 targeted audience members (with queues of up to 15 minutes regularly forming), which translated to over 1700 ‘hot’ or ‘warm’ sales leads for Porsche dealers in our target cities. We also recorded increased foot traffic in dealerships during and immediately after our activation. Our photo-sharing app, combined with foot traffic and social media generated over 10 million impressions for Macan pre-launch. And most importantly, we sold over 150 Macans before the car had launched, with no other Macan campaigns in market. Today, our experience lives on as a point-of-sale tool in Porsche dealerships across China.

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

Our concept hinged on combining technology and design – key drivers for automotive purchase amongst the target audience, & pillars of the Porsche brand – to bring alive ‘Life, Intensified.’ Utilising Oculus Rift, we created an immersive world that not only allowed guests to feel what Macan stood for (an on-the-go life and a thrill seeking spirit) but that did so using technology they’d never encountered before, which increased engagement levels and drove curiosity. This campaign redefined how Porsche engaged with their audiences, while simultaneously reinforcing their brand values. It was also the first execution of its kind in China.