The virtual experience draws in a younger, more diverse target market.
The Lincoln Motor company is proof positive that the powers of social influence – across all age groups – can be applied to just about any product, with radical results.
Brave and Bold
Working with Largetail, the luxury car manufacturer has gone brave and bold by promoting their virtual Dream Ride experience through an interactive chase in their 2015 MKC small premium utility vehicle.
From Traditional to Hip
The campaign is a major departure from Lincoln’s traditional marketing, as the company follows the increasing marketing trend to couple brands with social media. In doing so, they are garnering interest from a younger and wider range of potential buyers. Humor, storytelling and action serve to engage users and stir up conversation, while popular personalities create even more buzz.
Calling Out the Crew
Musicians Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez of Johnnyswim; Bravo TV’s Andy Cohen; and Fit Father blogger Kimatni Rawlins are all promoting the experience on social media. Actors Daniel Taylor and Sam Page lead viewers on the virtual adventure itself. Page is in pursuit of Taylor, a suspected thief, and you, the viewer, are his passenger. As the chase ensues, a number of MKC features are put into action, including drive control and active park assist. Viewers decide where to look by manipulating a computer mouse.
Social Media Incentives
Dream Ride can be watched without a log in, but the experience can also be personalized when viewers connect to Twitter or Facebook, a strategy that adds additional punch to the social media efforts.
A cross-generational winner?
Success
The Lincoln Motor Company, Ford Motor Company’s luxury brand, has long appealed to a very specific niche market of the older and wealthier. Realizing that they could tap a much larger market, the company made the bold move to widen its reach with Largetail, a digital network, strategy and design studio, at the helm of the campaign.
The duo plans to continue such strategies as it introduces four new vehicles through 2016. So far all indications are that the marketing campaign is working better than expected.
Today’s Savvy Surfers
Web site visitors are becoming more and more savvy. Getting their attention requires more than a banner ad. And if you want to engage potential customers, you’ll have to pull more tricks out of your bag. But these strategies are not for million-dollar companies alone. The high-tech features used by Lincoln and Largetail can be applied to experiences that create suspense and thrill through clever visual and verbal engagement.
Photos courtesy of Lincoln Motor Company