May 1, 2006 12:00 AM, By Kathleen M. Joyce
From Boardroom to Bonanza
- CAMPAIGN: Pontiac Solstice Early-Order Program
- AGENCY: Digitas
- CLIENT: GM/Pontiac
- PARTNERS: Leo Burnett, Momentum, GM Planworks
The kudos keep rolling in for Pontiac’s star turn on The Apprentice. It has netted an EMMA, an Interactive Marketing Award and a PRO Award (all from PROMO), plus an MAA Globe and the PMA’s Super Reggie. The April 2005 integration of the then-new car went far beyond the challenge posed to the competing Trumpites. The real power was in what happened as the end credits began rolling.
“We knew instantly that the results on this campaign were going to be outstanding,” says Victor Lee, VP and director of promotions for agency Digitas. “The way the car was positioned allowed viewers to fall in love with it. Exceptional activation after the show let them act on that emotion.”
A spot following the show invited consumers to a Web site to register to buy one of the first 1,000 Solstices off the assembly line. The entire special edition sold out in 41 minutes.
In the days that followed, 41,000 drivers registered online for the chance to place an early order for a Solstice. Of these, 16% visited a showroom to place an order. Site traffic at Pontiac.com was up 255% over the course of the promotion, averaging 1.4 million daily unique visitors.
“We tested and re-tested the site for months,” Lee says, trying to “break” it. Fortunately, the lag between taping in November 2004 and April airtime, let Digitas and Pontiac Marketing Director Mark-Hans Richer work through any technical challenges and provide training to GM’s dealers.
“We answered dealer concerns early and thoroughly,” Lee says. The result: a campaign that hit on all cylinders.
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