Car PR stunts rule. Whether it’s taking the 1997 Rolls Royce on a rugged 620-mile trek, or volunteering a gaggle of Mini Coopers for Italian heists, the auto industry has always loved its PR stunts. And they continue to grab headlines today.
Here are five of the wildest car PR stunts that got the world talking:
5 of the best car #PR stunts. http://t.co/NgI9ASXvq4
— Hotcow (@Hotcow) April 16, 2015
— Hotcow (@Hotcow) April 16, 2015
1. Mercedes
When Mercedes Benz UK released the C-Class Coupe in 2011, they decided to launch it with a big PR stunt. They created a game called ‘The Escape Map’ where players were trapped in Google Streetview and had to find a portal using clues as well as the model’s sat-nav in order to escape. The players needed to complete the game as quickly as possible for a chance to win a Mercedes C-Class Coupe.
2. Chevrolet
To launch their newest small car, Chevrolet built a 90-foot structure out of shipping containers and placed a Chevy Sonic on top. The car moved slowly towards the edge of the building on a gear system that related to the number of clicks generated from viewers – (who had interacted with their ‘Let’s Do This’ website). After 2.4 million clicks, the vehicle was pushed off the platform and performed a bungee jump.
3. Porsche
In order to increase test drives of its Porsche 911 Carrera S, Porshe drove the car around an affluent neighbourhood and took pictures of it driving off homeowners’ drives.
They printed the photos and made them part of a personalised direct mail shot to the home owners. The PR stunt had a 32% response rate, which was way over the average 2% response that direct mail usually receives.