To promote the new golf GTI, Volkswagen launched an immersive advertising experience called the ‘Golf Adbreak Championship’. Television viewers could compete with each other live during the ad break for the opportunity to win a free car. If viewers scanned the QR code in the advertisement, a racing mini-game was launched wherein they could control a little customizable GTI model on a digital race track. The competitions lasts until the ad break is finished. Additionally, billboards were placed around town with QR codes to practice your skills and find a schedule of upcoming competitions.
This serves as a great example of Volkswagen exploring technological opportunities to offer a uniquely connected experience and stand out from the abundance of other advertisements. Consumers often don’t feel like actually watching commercials and direct their focus on their smartphones instead anyway. Some figures even suggest 48% of millennials explicitly use their phone to avoid watching commercials.
By offering an experience in the form of a game in which you can win a car during an add break, Volkswagen show they understand viewers and are still able to engage with them during a commercial break when they are not even watching the ad. The result is an advertisement that is worth watching—or maybe even looking forward to.
