Virtually Porsche
Automotive Industry
Porsche
2016
Atlanta, GA, USA
Opportunity
Porsche needed a way to get more people behind the wheel and experience their line of sports cars. The traditional infrastructure of test driving does not make it easy to gain new customers or show potential consumers what the Porsche experience really is.
Solution
In order to show people the Porsche experience, a Porsche Experience Center was built in Atlanta, and a Porsche Virtual Reality App was created to allow consumers the experience of driving a Porsche- and a look at how it’s made- without the pressure of having to buy one.
Activation Breakdown
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A custom-built Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta served as an elaborate space for test driving and other brand experiences. This was the in-person side of this activation.
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A Virtual Reality App was created to replicate the feeling of sitting in a sports car, driving through the Experience Center, and allowed for learning about the vehicles and process through Conde Nast’s documentary.
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A partnership with Conde Nast to document the making-of process that was available for viewing in the VR app.
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A partnership with Google to create 5000 limited edition Porsche branded Google Cardboard viewers that acted as a VR headset with faux-leather and a scannable code that brought consumers to the app. These were sent to Conde Nast influencers, Porsche loyalists, and potential buyers.
Results
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In the VR app’s first month, “it facilitated 2.2x more virtual test drives than actual test drives from the US’s 188 dealerships combined.”1
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This activation, “more than doubled potential drivers experiencing the sights, sounds, and feel of a Porsche sports car than the entire traditional test drive infrastructure.” 1
Takeaway
This activation was successful because it reduced friction for the consumers. The traditional test-drive model puts pressure on consumers to buy, is not about fun, and most importantly, is extremely time-consuming. This activation took the pressure off, allowing for exploration and fun, can be enjoyed at any time, and helped to reach a broader audience. This activation brought Porches into the homes of consumers, resulting in more test drives and experiences.
In Action
1 Virtually Porsche, (n.d.) The Shorty Awards. https://shortyawards.com/8th/virtually-porsche