Volkswagen

How does an iconic auto brand engage digital natives with a groundbreaking online experience?

Challenge

Fuel engagement with digital natives with unique online experience. 

Solution

Used Promoted Tweets to drive awareness, extend reach and spark engagement with a contest.

Results

  • 150K Tweets in first hours
  •  50% increase in followers
  • 44% engagement rate on mobile Promoted Tweet

Tweet

On Twitter, Volkswagen Spain (@VW_es) interacts with brand and car enthusiasts, provides customer service and shares content about events, contests and offers with followers.

Their challenge

To market the Polo model, @VW_es needed to engage the vehicle’s target audience: digital natives who spend most of their time online and demand new, unique kinds of brand experiences. The auto brand also wanted to increase their overall number of Twitter followers to connect a new kind of consumer with the brand.

Their solution

In partnership with their creative agency, DDB, @VW_es Polo created a campaign around an online game called Polowers (a mash-up of Polo and “followers”) which people could play using Twitter to be entered to win a Polo. @VW_es integrated the Twitter API into the Polowers microsite and required users to become followers to play.

Every time a player tweeted using the #polowers hashtag, a Polo on the site would advance a few meters. The person to send the last Tweet before the Polo crossed the virtual finish line would win the car.

To create awareness for the contest with younger consumers, @VW_es used Promoted Tweets in timelines and search targeted to both desktop and mobile. @VW_es extended their reach by targeting brand and technology keywords in search and users like their followers. The auto brand also ran Promoted Accounts focused on Entertainment interests to reach new audiences.

“With Twitter, we were able to connect with our target audience, get them to engage continuously for eight hours and offer them the kind of brand content they enjoy interacting with online and on mobile. The increase in positive brand sentiment delivered the biggest value for our brand.”

Pedro FondevillaHead of Advertising at Volkswagen-Audi España

Their results

@VW_es drove over 150,000 Tweets in the eight hours of the contest. The brand also increased their follower base by 50% with the overall campaign and its Promoted Account campaign.

The Promoted Tweets in search and timelines delivered average engagement rates between two and four percent. The mobile campaigns were particularly effective, driving up to 12% higher engagement rates for @VW_es than desktop. The best performing Promoted Tweet on mobile drove 44% engagement.

3 keys to success

  1. Adapt to your target audience.

    In order to connect with digital natives, @VW_es knew they had to be on their platforms, speak their language and give them a campaign that felt natural to them. The brand created a dynamic and innovative online experience that was more about young people enjoying the game, not just entering to win a prize.

  2. Integrate across channels to create awareness.

    In addition to Twitter Ads, @VW_es promoted the Polowers contest in a TV commercial, print ads, display banners, outdoor billboards and branded content on major TV shows.

  3. Engage Twitter users wherever they are.

    To drive participation for the contest among younger consumers, @VW_es used Promoted Tweets in timelines and in search targeted to both desktop and mobile. The mobile campaigns particularly connected with Twitter users on the go and delivered up to 12% higher engagement rates for @VW_es than desktop.