When it comes to car brands, Volkswagen is one of the most popular out there, and for good reasons. The German automaker has been around since 1937, and even though just four years ago the brand suffered a huge crisis after all the controversy created around the software installation that evaded the emission controls of gases in millions of their vehicles, Volkswagen is still one of the most respected and well-known brands.
Volkswagen’s marketing
One of the best things Volkswagen does, and at the same time one of the reasons why the brand is so popular and successful, is the fantastic marketing’s campaigns. The company does not only know how to please their main customers, but they also know how to attract a larger audience, making potential customers fall in love with the brand. What’s so great about their marketing strategy? Well, here’s the answer:
Connect with the audience
An example of how Volkswagen uses content marketing to connect with the audience can be found in 2015 when the German company carried out a campaign in Mexico to celebrate its 50 years in the country. In this campaign, they invited their customers to participate in it. The objective was to reflect the emotional attachment their Mexican customers felt towards Volkswagen; to do so, all the people who wanted to participate had to upload a personal story that related them to the brand. «Were they successful?» you may wonder; well, the data speaks for itself: more than 8,500 experiences received. Finally, Volkswagen chose 5 of the best anecdotes told by the participants and all of them were broadcasted, both on YouTube and television, being seen by more than 16 million people.
Keep in mind social issues
The Volkswagen campaign in 2014 was focused on social matters. The goal was to create awareness through a simulated experience. During the ads before a film shown in Hong Kong, China, a video of a person driving a car was emitted. After 20 seconds since the footage began, all the people in the room received a text message simultaneously, when they picked their phones to read it, the projection vehicle suffered a serious accident. The campaign was called «Eyes on the road» and was well known in more than 23 countries. As if that were not enough, the campaign’s YouTube video has millions of views. A brilliant social marketing move.
Fun and neuromarketing
The funny and witty commercial shown in the 2011 Super Bowl gives a pretty good idea of how effective it can be to relate your brand with the things that the general audience love. The purpose was to promote the new model of the Volkswagen Passat 2012. The commercial shows a child disguised as the famous antagonist of the Star Wars films, Darth Vader, while the musical background of the same character plays. Volkswagen’s neuromarketing strategies are great.
We can learn a lot from Volkswagen’s marketing strategies. After all the brilliant ideas they have, no wonder why they’re one of the most popular car brands around.
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