VW Offers Perks in Exchange for Ambassadors

It only took Volkswagen of America three days to sign up 5,000 of its biggest fans to work as advocates for the brand.

VW sent e-mail and direct mail to Passat owners, inviting them to join the Passat Alpha Driver Program, a loyalty program that gives members exclusive perks in exchange for talking up the brand. The 12-week program launched in June to support the fall launch of the redesigned 2006 Passat.

Alpha Driver members register at a dedicated Web site www.vwalphadrivers.com, then interact with VW—and talk up Passat to their friends—to earn points they can redeem for goodies ranging from gift cards for national retailers to iPod products. Members get first crack at photos, videos and marketing materials for Passat; in 10 markets, members can earn a 24-hour test drive—even before some dealers have the new Passat. Materials are updated each week.

VW tapped its database to find a subset of Passat owners with the right demographics, then sent a friendly, personal invitation from Hunt. The response was immediate.

"We turned on the faucet with direct mail and e-mail and in three days, we had all the people we could handle," said VW Brand Marketing Manager John Gasloli.

A Sept. 7 Webcast chat with VW's executive VP Len Hunt drew 250 Alpha Driver members—which impressed VW's Webcast partner Yahoo (whose own Web casts average 50 attendees). "It's funny to see how geeked out these people are," Gasloli said.

Alpha Drivers get a special incentive to buy or lease a 2006 Passat; the member who earns the most points will win a two-year lease. Arnold Brand Promotions, Boston, handles, with an assist from word-of-mouth agency BzzAgent, also Boston.