How Social and Email Helped Mazda's Limited-Edition Preorders Sell Out Crazy Fast Under the hood of the automaker's timely digital promotion 
By Lauren Johnson

May 28, 2014, 12:45 PM EDT

Mazda bet big on social and email to tap into the classic roadster’s fervid fan base for its first all-digital pre-sale event to build buzz around a line of limited-edition MX-5 Miata cars.

In April, Mazda announced the sale of 100 25th anniversary Miata models at the New York International Auto Show. The brand quickly started churning out Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus posts to point consumers to a microsite where they could sign up to preorder the sporty car beginning on May 20. So, did these organic efforts pay off? Well, orders on the microsite filled up within 10 minutes, indicating that the digital work leading up to the promotion did indeed pan out for Mazda.

"We wanted to get the message out in a very concise way, so after we did the initial mass launch via the Auto Show announcement in New York, we then started talking it out in all of our social and digital channels,” said Russell Wager, vp of marketing at Mazda.

The Helloworld-powered site rolled out on May 1 with a countdown clock, asking car enthusiasts to type in their email addresses. Consumers could then sign up for an email reminder when the site went live, resulting in 1,600 email captures, Wager said.

A total of 250 sales leads were collected in the first 10 minutes of the promotion. Since only 100 cars were up for grabs, the additional 150 entries were gathered as back-ups in case some of the initial winners didn’t want to go through with buying the car.

The site generated 9,231 visits leading up to the promotion, and pulled in 6,519 clicks from May 20-26.

Mazda had intended to keep the microsite open for 10 days to turn out these 100 qualified sales leads, and credits some of the direct response-heavy social and digital efforts leading up to the promo as significant in triggering the the instant flood of responses.

The car brand has more than 1.5 million Facebook “likes,” a little more than 130,000 Twitter followers and roughly 820,000 Google Plus followers.

Between April 16 and May 20, Mazda posted a total of 11 Google Plus posts, 19 tweets and seven calls-to-action on Facebook. May 12 seemed to be the sweet spot in terms of engagement on Twitter and Facebook. Mazda’s tweet about the anniversary car was the brand's most retweeted tweet of the day, and a Facebook post the same day with almost 2,500 “likes” was shared more than 160 times.

“We have a huge enthusiast fan base first for Mazda, and second, specifically for the MX-5 Miata,” Wager said. “On any given weekend in the U.S., more people are racing in Mazdas than any other vehicle, and the majority of them are MX-5 Miatas.”

The Irvine, Calif.-based automaker now plans to follow up with the remaining 150 consumers who did not receive a car with information about upcoming product launches and offers as part of a push to ramp up CRM and loyalty efforts.

The microsite also now features a call-to-action to sign up for Mazda’s email newsletters.

"We’re actually using this as a little bit of a test case," Wager explained. "Maybe there will be some other limited-editions for other vehicles, maybe specific interior configurations [or] specific colors, but we’re definitely going to take this as a learning [tool] and we’re going to look to do this again in the future."

GM Is Moving Deeper Into ‘Next Frontier’ of Virtualization

General Motors Co.GM -0.87% is joining the ranks of large companies that are replacing traditional hardware such as storage and networking gear with software, a process known as virtualization.

Like most companies, GM began to virtualize mainframes and servers years ago, and that process is more or less complete. Now, having seen the economic and operational benefits of that process, GM is moving to virtualize other elements of its IT infrastructure, according to Jeff Liedel, executive director of the company’s global IT operations. He is based at the company’s $130 million data center in Warren, Mich.,which was modeled on IT infrastructure developed by Internet companies such as Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. The data center project was overseen by CIO Randy Mott.

“Virtualization brings a lot of benefits,” Mr. Liedel told CIO Journal. The virtualization of the server market paved the way for the spread of many kinds of cloud computing over the last few years, because it facilitated the sharing of hardware by multiple users. He expects that the expansion of virtualization into new areas of IT will have a significant impact, too.

“From a cost perspective, virtualization allows us to better leverage the hardware that we have across a variety of domains. We see the utilization of capital go up, and that is a good thing for any company.”

Virtualization allows companies to run software on lower-cost commodity machines. Assuming a certain degree of standardization among lower-cost gear makers, GM will be able to include hardware from a variety of vendors in its infrastructure. “We will be able to mix suppliers in a more seamless fashion. Virtualization allows you to have a multi-vendor environment and be less reliant on proprietary tools,” Mr. Liedel said.

GM has virtualized about 80% of its servers. As Mr. Liedel said, the company always will have a need for some servers that are linked to specific applications, so the level will never reach 100%. Virtualization of storage is in the early stages, and is only about 10% to 20% complete. Network virtualization is in the exploratory stages, but promises benefits such as dashboards that make it easier and faster to configure the network. “Software-based management tools make it easy to reallocate storage of networking capacity. You don’t have to physically recable something,” Mr. Liedel said.

Further into the future, he expects more applications to be virtualized.  Years ago, all applications had their own logon or password components. “Other functions and applications can be virtualized,” Mr. Liedel said. “I think that is the next frontier.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2014/06/11/gm-is-moving-deeper-into-next-frontier-of-virtualization/

Jeep launches 'The World's Most Remote Dealership' campaign via cummins&partners

Tuesday 24, June 2014 at 9:30 AM by Ricki

  

Jeep Australia together with cummins&partners, experiential agency Wonder and partners Nice Bike, Digital Dialogue and Maxus are set to mark the launch of the all-new Jeep Cherokee in Australia by creating The World's Most Remote Dealership.

Says Veronica Johns, president and CEO of Fiat Chrysler Australia: "The World's Most Remote Dealership brings the Jeep 'Don't Hold Back' attitude to life with a unique offer. We believe this is a 'World-First' and a campaign only Jeep could pull-off."

The Jeep Remote Dealership will be offering people the incredible opportunity to buy one of ten Jeep Cherokee Longitudes for just $10K Drive Away*, but only, if they can make it there.

The campaign will be launched via TV, digital and social and will drive users to download the Jeep App, to participate. However the exact location and other details of the Remote Dealership will only be revealed in the coming weeks and only to those who register through the Jeep app.

Says Jim Ingram and Ben Couzens, joint executive creative directors, cummins&partners: "The Cherokee is as much at home in the city as it is in a place far more remote. So we figured that's exactly where we should sell it - the most remote car dealership in the most remote country in the world."

The Monolith

A 90 second film with 25 hours of hidden content.

THE STORY

Mercedes-Benz needed to recover its iconic status in France with a younger target and highlight the sporty design of its new car models. It created "Monolith" — an interactive experience that explores the real-world sensations that shaped and influenced the Mercedes-Benz designers. At the core of the integrated campaign was a sleek, high-energy 90 second film. Through an immersive experience on YouTube, the user can unlock more than 25 hours of additional content on demand. It's a film-within-a-film that invites the world to explore the sensations that gave birth to a completely new kind of car.

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Creating a platform to deliver more than 25 hours of on-demand content proved to be a huge technical challenge. We wanted the digital "chapters" within the film to be as fluid as the film itself, without any buffering or interruption to the user's emotional experience. In the end, the technology and the idea informed one another, resulting in two modifications of the actual YouTube video player.

Read more here

Glory! Glory! Manchester United finally march out with new Chevrolet strips and the fans cheer them on

With cheering fans marching on , one of the most controversial  sports sponsorship deals ever - General Motors backing Manchester United - was finally  turned into an advertising reality yesterday.

In a video showing off   Chevrolet's "Bowtie" logo, the US car giant  finally took over from  AON as United's match-shirt sponsor. The video  does it brilliantly, telling the story of United's strips down the years.

The timing works well for Chevy, says the American Adage magazine .

“ With Team USA performing well at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, soccer fever is at its peak in the U.S.”

The 60-second spot by Chevy agency Commonwealth   shows club legends and supporters singing their "Glory, Glory, Man United" song as they march down to the Old Trafford stadium.

There were nine famous ex-players  in the video:  Sir Bobby Charlton, Dennis Law, Alex Stepney, Norman Whiteside, Arthur Albiston, Clayton Blackmore, Dennis Irwin, Gary Pallister and Lou Macari. How many did you spot?

Along the way, we see the fans putting on and taking off the club's previous red shirts  - until they catch up with the new one 

United’s current stars including Wayne Rooney step forward to unveil the Chevy kit. "The shirt belongs to you. Always has. Always  will,” says Rooney.

Chevy is inviting fans to sign up for an app at www.ChevroletFC.com where they can virtually try on the Chevy kit. The new campaign is part of Chevy's global "What Do You #PlayFor" marketing effort.

"Our presence on the new Manchester United home shirt is a highly anticipated moment for the club's more than 659 million followers around the globe, and for the Chevrolet brand," said Tim Mahoney, CMO of Global Chevrolet in a statement.

 "From the beginning of our partnership with Manchester United more than two years ago, we pledged to bring fans closer to the game. This celebration of the new shirt will honour that pledge by making them part of the unveiling."

 Man U. will play its first match bearing the Chevy logo during the Chevrolet Cup July 23 at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. Their opponents: LA Galaxy.

Joel Ewanick, who held a global CMO post similar to Mahoney, was roundly criticised  for agreeing to pay $559 million over seven years to sponsor the club known as the New York Yankees of international soccer.

He was fired  shortly after finalising the deal in 2012.  Ewanick publicly defended the deal as a "no-brainer" during an automotive conference in Las Vegas in 2013.

CASE STUDY

Revving Up For Smarter Digital Marketing

THE RUNDOWN

Kia, a challenger brand in the Australian market, wanted a better way to understand and optimise their marketing investment, to address fast-changing consumer behaviours. Kia adopted DoubleClick Digital Marketing to simplify and more accurately measure the impact of their digital marketing across channels. The unified platform helped Kia achieve a 30-percent improvement in cost-per-acquisition (CPA).

Read full case study here

Nissan lets YouTube users unveil new Pulsar model

POSTED BY ISHBEL MACLEOD

Nissan has unveiled the Nissan Pulsar, with online experience ‘Driving On Another Level’ created by MRY UK.

MRY UK has worked with Nissan to create an interactive YouTube gadget which allows viewers to unveil the car themselves, raising the curtain on the car for a YouTube reveal.

Gav Gordon-Rogers, creative director at MRY UK, said: "Nissan wanted to unveil the Pulsar in a completely new way, breaking all the usual auto industry conventions. Hopefully we've achieved that goal, with the help of our partners."

Nissan lets YouTube users unveil new Pulsar model

‘Driving On Another Level’ is supported by a social strategy which includes activity on Facebook, Twitter, Instragram and Vine.

Lucía Chávez Paz, social media manager at Nissan Europe, said: “The Nissan Pulsar breaks the norm with its driver- supporting technologies, striking design and spacious interior, so we’re delighted to be launching it in a bold and unconventional way. ‘Driving On Another Level’ sets the Pulsar apart from its competitors and is a great platform to bring to life the car’s class-leading features.”

Paid media activity was handled by OMD.

Volkswagen: Find your Volkswagen Match

VW uses matchmaking functionality to help shoppers find their dream car based on whatever they're looking for. Whether a particular model, feature, colour, or even price. Then it pairs them with new or used Volkswagen cars in their area. Each car even has its own profile page with images, features, specs, and payment estimator that's more than 80,000 unique profile pages, and more than 10 million possible configured images. Agency: Deutsch LA. 

http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/62360/Volkswagen-Find-Your-Volkswagen-Match

Sony Creates 'Social Media Broadcast Channel' for World Cup

Soccer Tournament Expected To Dominate 60% of All Tweets For An Entire Month

By Emma Hall.

Sony has created a single online platform, called One Stadium Live, to bring together conversations and content across Twitter, Facebook and Google+ before and during the World Cup.

One Stadium Live starts May 1 and is part of Sony's tier one sponsorship of the FIFA tournament in Brazil. The mobile-first website at will highlight hot topics to give fans a snapshot of how the whole world is feeling about games, players, tactics, gossip -- and the inevitable controversies -- surrounding the World Cup 2014.

The platform is designed for mobile devices first.

Nick Bailey, CEO and executive creative director of IsobarU.K., which created One Stadium Live, said that Twitter expects 60% of all tweets during matches will be World Cup-related during the month-long soccer tournament, which starts on June 12.

Mr. Bailey described One Stadium Live as being "like a social broadcast channel for football." He added, "It will be like turning social content into TV content. You'll be able to tune in and see what people are saying, but in an engaging and entertaining way. It won't feel like just a load of Twitter hashtags – it will be a snapshot of what the world is feeling."

One Stadium Live will use analyze the meaning of posts, rather than just key words, to group fan posts together, while the technology will also remove bots and retweets from the conversation.

Isobar has set up a newsroom in its London office to bring an editorial layer to One Stadium Live. A team of moderators will be working round the clock, across six time zones, to push out the best conversations. Moderators will be there to safeguard Sony and keep things like racism and drugs out of the conversation. The site will also carry profiles and statistics on all 32 teams and their players, and news feeds to keep fans up to date in six languages.

The last tournament in 2010 attracted two billion TV viewers, and since then internet use has increased by 53%, Twitter use by 13,500%, and Facebook has gone from 300 million to one billion users, according to Isobar.

Trials held during recent friendly international matches demonstrated the variety of conversations around soccer, from pundits and tactics to team colors and whether or not individual players were "hot." Mr. Bailey said, "There is such a rich texture of conversation. We want it to feel like a big carnival of football, to create a wonderful ripple effect around games so that the whole world becomes a stadium."

One Stadium Live feeds into Sony's "One Sony" drive, which is attempting to unify the diverse Japanese company under one brand identity.

Sony calls its approach "From the lens to the living room," to capture the way the brand shares in the user experience, from the cameras that film the matches, to its Bravia TVs used to watch them, and Sony Xperia tablets and smartphones used to share the experience. Exclusive FIFA archive footage will also be available on Sony Entertainment Network.

Mr. Bailey said, "Our insight was that Sony brings fans closer to the detail of what's on the pitch -- closer to the visceral action -- so that we can make every fan's experience a bit more like being in a stadium." A spot promoting One Stadium Live, also by Isobar, will run on Sony's own channels and websites.

Once the World Cup is over, Isobar hopes to be able to adapt the One Stadium Live technology to create a second-screen experience across other big sports events, and for global shows such as the Academy Awards.

Ford puts 500 Mustangs up for grabs during UEFA Champions League final

POSTED BY JESSICA DAVIES

Ford is to open online bookings for its new Mustang model for the first time ahead of its Europe launch, during the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Club Atlético de Madrid.

The move will mean EU customers can pre-order one of 500 of the new Mustang models from kick-off on 24 May, until the final whistle, on the car marque’s website.

The model will launch in Europe next year, and the May booking window during the match will mark the first time in the sports car’s 50-year history that it will be sold across Europe.

Customers can view information, graphics and videos about the new mustang and its heritage on the Ford website.

Ford has been an official UEFA Champions League partner since 1992.

“The arrival of the new Ford Mustang in Europe is an event that deserves the biggest possible stage,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, marketing, sales & service, Ford of Europe.

“We hope that making the first models available to order at the exact moment the final kicks off will ensure a reach which matches the significance,” he added.

Both fastback and convertible Mustang models will be available to book.

Why 1,500 people bought the Honda Fit Without Ever Really Seeing it

F/NAZCA SAATCHI & SAATCHI CREATES 'INVISIBLE' HONDA THAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN WITH A TABLET

Trying before buying is usually standard practice when it comes to big spending. You wouldn't buy a TV or sofa until you'd tried it, and you certainly wouldn't buy a car.

But F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi's campaign for the Honda Fit 2015 managed to convince 1500 people to buy the Honda Fit without ever seeing it in the "flesh".

The strategy was implemented in Honda dealers from all over Brazil. Clients could visualise details of the car simply by directing the camera of a tablet at a "Virtual Carpet", which marks out the exact size of the new car. 

More than 38,000 people interacted with the new Honda Fit virtually and 1,500 bought it even before it was available in stores. 

http://www.lbbonline.com/news/why-1500-people-bought-the-honda-fit-without-ever-really-seeing-it/

Nissan expands Digital Marketing Plans with UEFA tie-up

By Gaurav Sharma

Nissan has signed a sponsorship deal with the UEFA Champions League, Europe's top football competition from the 2014-15 season up to the 2017-18 season. 

The move is in line with Nissan's strategy for the expansion of its digital marketing footprint. It would see the Japanese car manufacturer replace American rival Ford, who had been partnering with the UEFA competition for 22 years. 

As part of the tie-up Nissan would get extensive rights and branding around Champtions League matches, including the final, pre-match training sessions, digital media and hospitality benefits. The company's European CIO Stephen Kneebone, who has placed top in the 2014 edition of the CIO 100, recently said that potential buyers' journey often begins at home on the internet. 

'Hence, we have identified that digital excellence as a key priority. In the automotive world Nissan is seen as a challenger brand, in digital we are positioning ourselves as leaders. The pace of digital in automotive is faster than retail. After all we compete in general retail for consumers, so it is to be expected,' he told CIO UK.

BMW searches for the “millions” of brand stories around the world

By Joe McCarthy

#BMWStories post from fan

German automaker BMW is unifying owners around the world with a global campaign that celebrates driver stories.

The brand is weaving together stories from fans, professional drivers and important figures in the company to give a full sense of what it means to be a BMW driver. Today’s campaigns seem inadequate without a strong user-generated content component, and many brands are responding to this development by leveraging the voices of followers.

“The buzzword in the marketing community is ‘The consumer owns the brand,’” said Al Ries, founder and chairman of Ries & Ries, a Roswell, GA-based marketing strategy consultancy. “Oddly enough, that is true.

“Brands are names that exist in consumers’ minds,” he said. “If your brand is not in very many minds, it isn’t worth anything.

“But that’s always been true. So there’s nothing new and different about brands today. Yet, many marketing people think that everything about branding is turned upside down. The only way to reach consumers is by exposing them to what other consumers think about your brand. Hence, the BMW campaign and many others like it.”

Mr. Ries is not affiliated with BMW, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

BMW was unable to comment by press deadline.

Individual experiencesThe campaign casts a wide net to include as many BMW drivers as possible.

Fans are encouraged to post what their BMW means to them and how it has affected their life. Whether that means a one-time event, fond memory or a routine experience is subjective.

BMW Facebook post regarding campaign

BMW released a video to emphasize the subjectivity of the campaign, declaring that there are millions of BMW stories out there.

There are millions of BMW stories. What`s yours?

The Web page for the campaign reflects this diversity. Beginning with the campaign video, the page leads to a collapsible section that highlights the brand’s claim to innovation.

Videos and other content explore the i8 model, racing events and some of the minds behind BMW.

From BMW stories page

The rest of the page deals mainly with user-generated content. The first fan area highlights “pioneering” stories including first-drives of the BMW i3 model.

#BMWStories post from fan

The next section displays a wider range BMW stories and relevant content.

#BMWStories content 

Currently, the content is available in English and German. The brand will launch a United States-focused version of the campaign in the near future.

All together Several automakers have rallied around the notion of unifying fans.

For instance, Audi of America gathered fan tales of adversity and resilience for a live-stream event in Santa Monica, CA, directed by creative figures such as artists, designers and musicians.

The massive community-driven initiative was an extension of the “Paid my Dues” campaign that heralded the debut of the A3. As Audi repositions its entry-level vehicles to appeal to a broader audience, tapping the universal theme of overcoming obstacles will likely resonate (see story).

Also, Mercedes-Benz USA honored dedicated fans by showcasing the stories behind their passion for the brand and how they became owners on its Facebook page.

The “Owner’s Stories” profiles vary in formats ranging from question and answer to brief anecdotes and personal histories. Mercedes demonstrated its commitment to fans and will likely fortify brand loyalties by going beyond fleeting social-media interactions to delve into the lives of consumers (see story).

“In truth, using customer stories is only one way to build a brand,” Mr. Ries said. “And it’s probably not a particularly effective way.

“When you publish many different stories from many different customers, you tend to lack a coherent theme,” he said. “And without a coherent theme, the advertising isn’t very memorable.

“The BMW brand was built around a singular idea, The ultimate driving machine. I think they should stick to this slogan and make it an inherent part of everything they do.”

4 Ways Marketers Will Benefit From the New iPhone Strong retail potential By Garett Sloane

June 3, 2014, 6:07 PM EDT

Marketers are imagining new mobile campaigns and content now that Apple revealed the future of the iPhone at its developers conference this week. There were hints at how iBeacon technology could work, and announcements that were mostly intended for the developer community held clear implications for advertisers.

"A lot of services Apple introduced, HealthKit and CloudKit [in particular], are going to offer opportunities for brands to engage," said Craig Elimeliah, svp, director of creative technology at Rapp. 

Here's a summary of what Apple's moves mean to marketers.

HealthKit

iBeacon teased
Advertisers and brands were hoping to hear more about iBeacon, a device that could revolutionize shopping with the help of data, but Apple did not reveal the hardware.

"What they did at least was speak about something that will make beacons appeal to brands and users even more," said Jeremy Sigel, client director of mobile at Essence.

Sigel was referencing the next mobile operating system, iOS 8, which has a notification system perfectly designed for retail messaging through beacons, Sigel said. Dubbed Interactive Notifications, it allows messages to get through to users engaged in other activities on their phones.

"There's a fear on the brand side," Sigel said. "They don't want to be interruptive."

The notification also can serve content that users can easily interact with or ignore. Marketers expect the iBeacon to allow them to share that content while consumers are walking the aisles at stores.

Health
Apple's HealthKit is a platform for users to monitor their general wellness. Brands focused on health, healthcare, nutrition and activity will be looking to connect on the iPhone. Elimeliah, who works with Pfizer and Merck, said big pharm brands are natural candidates to build for Apple in ways they were previously reluctant to explore.

"There are challenges to get clients to innovate in that space but, now that Apple provided a platform there, will be less apprehension," he said.

Home
The HomeKit is Apple's biggest step into the connected world, turning the iPhone into the ultimate remote control. People will automate their environments based on time of day and what they’re doing with settings for "partying" or "ready for bed."

"Targeting people based on moods and context is very much on the table," Sigel said.

App is back
Brands see new incentives to build their own apps with Apple's new coding language calledSwift. It is expected to make it cheaper and easier to build apps.

"More brands will develop apps in the next year or two than we’ve ever seen before," said Ryan McLaughlin, chief strategy officer at Tribal Worldwide. 

Audi: Instant Valuation Billboard

AlmapBBDO created an instant used-car evaluator for Audi. One that scanned used cars, without the owners owning it. When they left the parking, they saw a digital billboard, giving information about their car, and telling them with that money, they could buy an Audi.

http://creativecriminals.com/audi/instant-valuation

VW ensures brand visibility during World Cup via soccer app

By Joe McCarthy

---

May 28, 2014

Volkswagen’s Onefootball Brazil app

Audi and Porsche are among the luxury automakers likely to benefit from their parent company Volkwagen’s World Cup application that facilitates the fan experience during the globally adored event.

The “Onefootball Brazil” app consolidates FIFA World Cup 2014 information for easy access and lets fans customize content around a favorite team. Interactive features will allow fans to connect with one another around the world.

“Football has the power to reach every corner of the planet,” said Carsten Krebs director of corporate communications of Volkswagen, Herndon, VA. “It is not only a sport, it is a universal language of global communication, especially during the time of the World Cup.

“Being accessible to everybody, football perfectly fits the Volkswagen brand as it is an inclusive and truly democratic sport – the people’s sport – with appeal to all Volkswagen target groups, maximum proximity, visibility and relevance to the consumer,” he said.

“With the Onefootball Brasil app, we have found a smart, innovative and relevant way of leveraging our global football footprint. Moreover, we can provide our international markets with a global platform through which they can easily communicate local brand/product messages to highly engaged consumers while offering them a highly relevant experience that goes far beyond traditional advertising.

“In a nutshell: Onefootball Brasil offers a huge potential to emotionalize the Volkswagen brand by connecting with highly engaged consumers in emotional moments.”

Picking the winner

Volkswagen’s app begins by asking users to select a World Cup contender to center the content on.
Onefootball app
Onefootball app
Onefootball app
Volkswagen has built large communities with mobile apps before.

The ensuing home screen displays the chosen team’s first contest and filtered tweets from their official Twitter page.

On the bottom of the screen, users can select “Results,” “News,” “Live” and “More.” The top menu bar includes “Home,” “Tournament” and “Squad.”

Fans can access the latest videos including press conferences and learn about the players on their favorite team. A live ticker including game commentary will help fans track the schedule.

When the World Cup begins June 12, fans will be able to follow live updates from games. Users can receive push notifications when relevant content emerges or when a game is approaching.

Before games, users can predict winners and top players of matches. During games, users can chat with one another in a live forum.

Finally, fans can customize their profile, share content on social media, access Volkswagen’s digital magazine and request feedback.

The app is available in 15 languages and can be downloaded here.

“Through the native integration of localized Volkswagen branded content, consumers are encouraged to discover Volkswagen products as well as find close-by dealerships and book test drives,” Mr. Krebs said.

“In order to ensure a high degree of responsiveness and relevance during the World Cup, we set up a small international team in Wolfsburg, which is able to react on the spot to the games by posting directly into the news feeds of the App,” he said.

Bound together

For instance, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche, under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, have attracted substantial attention in global markets through the branded mobile app, “Sports Car Challenge 2,” recently reaching 1 million downloads.

The app acts as a way for racing fans to explore VW brand models and discover vehicle capabilities with precision while on virtual racing tracks. Perhaps more so than other product category, automotive brands can cultivate new fans, solidify loyalists and spur real-life product interaction effectively with mobile games (see story).

Audi is also bolstering its commitment to soccer by bringing the Audi Football Summit July 31 to the United States for the first time.

The Audi Football Summit harnesses global appeal by bringing together Germany’s FC Bayern Munich and Mexico’s Club Deportivo Guadalajara. The timing of the summit could not be better, as soccer enthusiasts will be revved up from the FIFA World Cup, especially since Germany is pegged by many to be favorite (see story).

Although Volkswagen will certainly generate downloads for its latest app, the amount of content circulating during the World Cup may be overwhelming.

“There will be no shortage of ways to get World Cup news,” said Jeff Hasen, Seattle-based chief marketing officer of Mobivity.

“The winners will be established sources like ESPN and those who drive awareness to an experience that differentiates and brings additional value,” he said. “It might be gamification or a contest or a community that is perceived as unique.”

“‘Me-too’ apps or sites will be bounced out of the first round just like the also rans on the field.”