VW – 72 Hour Sale

Brief: VW has initiated a special sales promotion, aimed at selling as many vehicles as possible in a 72 hour period. Due to the current economic situation it was decided to approach also those seeking luxury second-hand cars, and to inform them of this opportunity. The challenge was to find a unique way to stand out in the used-car ads in the newspaper.

Solution: In addition to the general mass media campaign, we used a unique media approach to help give an extra push. On the top area of the classified page we inserted a ‘hand written’ reminder – including a typical scribble made when checking that the pen is working – quoting, ‘72 hour sale, last day’. This note gave insightful and personal priority to a sale that couldn’t be missed. The following page featured a general mass media ad about the special sales event.

Results: The sales event was a huge success. VW’s goal was to sell 800 cars, but in actual fact they sold over 2,000 cars within 72 hours. The success of the promotion received great PR with no charge and led to the extension of the special sale for an entire week.

VW 72 Hour Sale - Click to enlarge

Cannes Lions: Bronze Media Lions 2009