Background

China is the world’s hottest automobile market. New cars launch every week, to the same people, the same way and young affluent buyers had disengaged. For the Porsche Macan launch, it was clear that we needed to reawaken them. Instead of letting them choose to ignore us, we invited them to #ChooseThrilling. We put 400 guests at the centre of the experience. We thrilled them through a continuous storyline and gave them the power to shape their own experience. The result? The experience garnered over 33 million views and 5 million instant engagements. Most importantly, disengaged buyers chose to change.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Instead of letting consumers chose to ignore us, we invited them to “Choose Thrilling”. The key message was simple: ‘Thrilling’ is a choice you make. To bring this message to life, we took guests on a journey to #ChooseThrilling by experiencing thrills in the city, the mountainous terrains and on the race tracks. We put influencers and press in the center of a live set, surrounded by actors. Guests had no prior knowledge of what the immersive experience entailed, so at every opportunity we delivered fresh excitement and surprise through huge experiential zones. We needed to create an experience that was not only engaging, but also personalized, so that every individual guest’s experience is different. For one night, guests were the Thrillseekers as they freely explored the spaces and interacted with performers, dancing, and cheering as they uncovered the story layer by layer.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

Our “Choose Thrilling” experience featured four zones uniquely designed to showcase the spirit, history and power of the new Macan. Concrete Jungle: Pillars of concrete were designed into skyscrapers, creating a stunning urban landscape. Thrillseekers danced and parkoured around guests, inviting them to join in. Customized sound-bites heightened our cityscape environment. Rocky Terrains: We completely transformed the raw factory space into a mountainous landscape, complete with rock climbers, abseilers, and acrobats. Guests were immersed into the serenity of the outdoors, representing the off-road spirit of the new Macan. Heritage Vault: Here we displayed Porsche’s most iconic models to remind guests of the brand’s sportscar heritage. The Ultimate Thrill: The final area featured a race track style grand stand where artist Fuerza Bruta performed The Running Man, demonstrating how we break through obstacles and choose thrilling in life. And then finally, the new Porsche Macan was revealed on the track.

List the results (20% of vote)

The event became the talk of the town. Within 72 hours, the event was viewed 33.2 million times online with 5.51 million engagements. Porsche’s channels also saw 423,000 WeChat and Weibo views with 14,000 engagements. Media coverage reached an all-time high with media partners saying: • “A Thrilling and Unforgettable Experience”- Sohu.com • “An Unconventional Launch and Unexpected Thrilling Experience That Fits Perfect with The New Porsche Macan” - toutiao.com • “Unexpected Thrilling Launch, Very Different From Other Brands” - Netease News “The Macan Launch was a game changer. The event was the most innovative, immersive and thrilling event we’ve ever staged in the history of Porsche China. Months after the launch, we still hear from management, colleagues, dealers and consumers how amazing the event was and how thrilling the experiences were,” said Stephan Galla, Senior Manager Events at Porsche China.