Volkswagen Launches All-Digital U.K. Campaign for New Golf GTI

Full-service digital agency Tribal DDB London has created an all-digital campaign to promote Volkwagen’s new performance hatchback car, the Golf GTI Mark 6, which launched in the U.K. last week. The campaign utilizes social media, rich media ads, and pay-per-click search ads to drive traffic to a dedicated site.

To replicate the thrill of driving a performance vehicle, the GTI Project site allows users to race the car along a giant Scalextric track and compete to set the fastest lap possible.

According to DDB Account Director Mark Brennan marketing a performance car such as the GTI required a different approach to more mainstream models. “We identified the ‘Petrol Head’ influence as the key group to engage with,” he said, referring to car enthusiasts. “These people know what they’re talking about, so we felt they would feel more engaged with the site if they didn’t feel like they were being marketed to,” he added.

Mediacom was responsible for the purchase of the supporting media, and ads are currently appearing on niche motoring sites such as Drivers Republic and Top Gear, and other men’s interest destinations such as GQ and MSN. The campaign is also making use of a Google search ads, buying both brand-specific keywords, and terms such as “hot hatch” and “GTI.”

Sites such as Drivers Republic are running reader competitions on the GTI Project site itself, rewarding the fastest drivers with a chance to drive one of the actual cars under the guidance of professional racing drivers. The car itself officially launched in the U.K. last week.

The site plays on the story of the car’s conception. The first GTI was designed and built in secret by Volkswagen engineers in their spare time. The site allows users to get behind the wheel of a scale model of the new Golf, fitted with miniature cameras, and race along the streets of a model city. Lap times are then recorded, and users are encouraged to challenge their friends to do better.

“We thought the idea of a challenge would appeal to performance car buyers,” Brennan said, claiming the site has generated over 1.7 million pageviews and attracted 150,000 unique visitors users since it went live at the beginning of the month. He added that users are currently spending an average of just under ten minutes per visit on the site.