Volkswagen brings the fun: Giant piano stairs and other ‘Fun Theory’ marketing

If stairs played musical notes when you walked on them, would you be more likely to take them?

The video of people skipping the escalator in favor of composing music on the piano stairs of Odenplan subway station in Stockholm, Sweden, has been viewed more than 2.5 million times on YouTube. (Watch it above in the embedded player.)

The video is part of a new viral marketing campaign called “The Fun Theory.” The concept, created by Volkswagen Sweden and ad agency DDB Stockholm, is based on the idea that “fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better.”

Another campaign video shows people picking up trash off the ground in a park just to hear “The World’s Deepest Bin,” a regular trash can wired with motion-activated depth sound effects.

The goal with these fun, do-good videos is to promote VW’s new environmentally friendly BlueMotionTechnologies brand in an increasingly more competitive eco-car market.

“As traditional advertising is becoming less effective, and the competition in the market for environmentally sound cars is becoming more fierce, we believed we needed a more innovative approach to draw attention to BlueMotion,” DDB Stockholm deputy manager Lars Axelsson said in an e-mail.

$1.49 gasoline today only, compliments of Hyundai

If you're planning a big driving trip this holiday weekend and you happen to be in the Los Angeles area near Hollywood Boulevard and Bronson Avenue, today's your lucky day -- between the hours of noon and 2 p.m., that is.

To promote its latest car-buying spiff, Hyundai is running a $1.49 gas promotion at one gas station in Los Angeles, one in New York and one in Chicago -- for two hours only.

Because we aren't allowed to announce this until 11 a.m. today, your proximity to the location, or your willingness to use your existing tank of gas to travel there, will save you more than half the current cost of regular gasoline.

Where?
Hollywood 76 gas station
5890 Hollywood Blvd. (southeast corner of Hollywood and Bronson)
Los Angeles, CA 90028

When?
Today, July 1, from noon to 2 p.m.

How much?
Regular-grade gasoline: $1.49 a gallon (a savings of $1.58)
Mid-grade gasoline: $1.64 (a savings of $1.55)
Premium gasoline: $1.79 (a savings of $1.48)

Why is Hyundai doing it?
What Hyundai hopes is that you will now be aware of its summer incentive program called Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock, which begins today and runs through Aug. 31. All new Hyundais purchased during that time qualify to receive a special credit card that Hyundai helps to pay at most major gas stations, keeping your regular gas prices at $1.49 a gallon for one year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first.

John Krafcik, chief executive and president of Hyundai Motor America, is convinced that this promotion, in conjunction with other Hyundai programs, will help stimulate new car buying this summer. “Our research shows that nearly 40% of potential new car buyers are staying out of the market specifically due to uncertainty around future gas prices.”

-- Joni Gray

Photo credit: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times

The True Blood MINI Convertible: Exclusively for Vampires

If BMW says it, it must be true: vampires are among us.

BMW’s MINI Cooper is just one of the real products being marketed in a faux campaign for vampires, coinciding with the second-season premiere of HBO’s vampire drama -- “True Blood.”

The MINI ads feature blood-red versions of the MINI Cooper and the MINI Clubman with headlines like “Feel the Wind in Your Fangs” and “Type GO.”

Last year, HBO launched a similar type of viral marketing, using YouTube. In a viral marketing effort by Campfire (the same marketers who convinced us that the Blair Witch was real), vampires worldwide appeared to demand suffrage by creating their own amateur YouTube videos promoting a blood substitute.

The aim of blurring the lines between reality and fiction through these ads and the show's microsites – bloodcopy.com, fellowshipofthesun.org and americanvampireleague.com – is to fully immerse consumers in the experience and premise of the show.

According to an article published in MediaPost, MINI and several other popular consumer products featured in the campaign – Harley-Davidson, Gillette, Monster.com, and Geico – can sit back and enjoy the ride, as HBO is taking on all the creative and media costs for the campaign.

This year’s ads can be seen in national print publications (like US Weekly, AM New York, and the New York Observer), online, and outdoor advertisements. All of the ads include URLs that lead consumers to HBO’s “True Blood” website at HBO.com.

If you subscribe to HBO, you can drink your fill at the show’s premiere Sunday.

-- Kelsey Ramos

Photo of "True Blood" print ad provided by HBO

Sideways star plays Micro Bus in VW's new ad campaign

Volkswagen launches five new 30-second television spots this week -- its continuation of the "Das Autos" campaign that features Max, the 1964 black Beetle with the German accent, commenting on an array of new Volkswagen models.

The new campaign, developed with VW ad agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky, features a new character, a 1963 red Micro Bus unimaginatively named "BUS," that will be played by Thomas Haden Church.  Church, who began in radio, was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2004 film "Sideways." He grabbed the chance to be the voice of the Micro Bus, "I was excited by the chance to work with an iconic brand like Volkswagen and to develop my character to help make the campaign fun and irreverent."

For the first time in VW's history, the campaign will make direct competitive slams at other brands. Another first is VW's foray into social networking giant, Facebook, where viewers will be directed to visit and interact beginning May 18.

-- Joni Gray

Photos: 1963 VW Micro Bus from Volkswagen, Thomas Haden Church in "Sideways" from Fox Searchlight Pictures

For the record: This article had the spelling of Thomas Haden Church as "Hayden" and has since been corrected.

Audi pedals for a good cause in exchange for an upscale market

In good times, carmakers love to spend money on philanthropic events and claim that it has nothing to do with selling cars. But with many manufacturers slashing their marketing budgets in a rocky economy, why was Audi shelling out big bucks last week for a charity bike ride? And why does it seem perfectly happy with the results?

The answer seems to be that hosting fundraisers is feel-good marketing. And it's more likely to draw celebrities. Try getting folks like Maria Shriver, Rob Lowe, Clint Eastwood, David Hasselhoff, Carl Lewis, Stephen Hearst, Kenny G and members of the Black Eyed Peas to show up for an Audi commercial. Add in some politicos and lots of very wealthy potential luxury car buyers, and sharing the wealth becomes more of a business move.

Audi’s spend with the Best Buddies Challenge event is $2.5 million this year. This underwrites the U.S. events and a few other key locations all over the world (there are 1,400 chapters). In May, there’s a ride that ends at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. September is the 100-mile ride from Carmel to Hearst Castle (riders also have the option of 62- or 15-mile courses, and runners and walkers can do a 5-kilometer race).

Best Buddies, which grew out of the Shriver family's involvement with the Special Olympics, matches mentally disabled individuals with volunteers to improve the quality of their lives through friendships and employment -– the two areas that represent their biggest challenges. Audi of America's Western Region director, Michael Cagle, said the Best Buddies program is a rare find as a promotional partner. “How can you go wrong? It's a great cause, chaired by California’s first lady, a wealthy niche community of cyclists, Hollywood celebrities and an aspirational brand like Audi -- it hits on all cylinders.” ...

Advertising for the Hyundai Genesis attempts to kick past the luxury barrier

Hyundai has earmarked a cool $80 million to advertise its new luxury car, the Hyundai Genesis. This is above and beyond the 5 million bucks spent on two 30-second Super Bowl spots teasing the product earlier this year. That’s a bunch of money, but according to Hyundai’s marketing director, Chris Perry, launching an entirely new brand under the Hyundai banner would have cost nearly three times as much.

The Genesis, which prices out (in some cases) at tens of thousands less than comparable luxury sedans, does carry the Hyundai badge as well as the possibly perceived baggage of a low-end consumer perception. Hyundai hopes this car and its related ad campaign will change all that. Copy points in the ads don't shy away from the competition. The message includes direct comparisons to Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus and Porsche. Hyundai adds its own voice tagging the end of the ad with the ominous "The barrier to luxury has just been officially been kicked in." Hyundai's Perry believes the timing for this bold value proposition is perfect. “It’s all about legitimizing the brand -- the Hyundai name has had a five- to 10-year-old perception that is no longer true.”

So, rather than trying to sell you on Hyundai as a luxury brand, the advertising pros at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners have come up with a new strategy -- to pummel you with logic. They would like people to judge Hyundai based on the car’s own merit. The campaign asks you to put aside all of that “snob appeal” that true luxury cars evoke and get the same car at a much lower price and with better gas mileage (18 city/27 highway mpg on the V-6 version).

Bold reality checks have been an advertising tradition since the dawn of Madison Avenue, and Hyundai’s claims aren’t that far from reality. The Genesis has been praised by the automotive press for its design refinements inside and out, new rear-wheel drive trains, its performance and handling, just to name a few plus sides. All this makes the Hyundai advertising message an even more interesting (if not expensive) marketing experiment. Will American car buyers accept and buy a lower-priced luxury car sans the snob appeal of the luxury brand reputation? In cars, as in love and war, all is fair.

-- Joni Gray

Photo and video courtesy of Hyundai Motor America