VOLKSWAGEN / REAL RACING GTI
27 October 2009
In a move sure to send shivers down the spines of even the most hardy media moguls
- Brand
- Volkswagen
- Media Type
- Apps & Widgets
- Mobile
- Product Category
- Automotive
- Source
- News
- Tags
- Volkswagen
- Automotive
- Apps
- Mobile
VW has turned its back on TV, print, outdoor and even online - choosing to launch the latest iteration of its Golf GTI in the US using an iPhone app and an iPhone app alone. Here's the skinny - better buckle up...
The German automaker, via AKQA, New York, has enlisted the mobile gaming expertise of Aussie developers, Firemint - best known for their iPhone title Real Racing which has an average App Store rating of 4 stars and has long sat in the top ten racing games available on the device. Making no attempt to differentiate its branded offering from the original (indeed, why would they?) VW has called its app simply Real Racing GTI. Essentially a stripped down version of the £3.99 full title, the free game provides users with one main track on which they can race six different version of the new sports hatch.
www.firemint.com
Different modes of gameplay are available - including Quick Race which chucks gamers straight onto the grid with five other cars and Time Trial - a battle against the clock after which users can submit their best time to an online leaderboard and even post a replay direct to YouTube. The quickest racers will be in with a chance of winning one of six brand-spanking real-world GTIs. A virtual showroom also allows for a closer look at the new car without worrying about clipping apexes or being undertaken...
Perhaps most significantly, the cost of this application and indeed the whole launch is estimated to be around $500,000 (according to Ad Age). In comparison, VW spent $60 million on promoting the launch of the MK 5 GTI in 2006 with big media buys across prime time TV etc. Isolating all promotional activity to this one platform may sound risky, however, Apple recently announced that sales of the iPhone stood at 7.4 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 - up 7% over last year. Furthermore, the iPod Touch is now being re-positioned as a gaming device as much as a personal media player, with a 64GB version now available with faster innards which make it better suited to handling sophisticated graphics etc.
Be sure to stay tuned for updates - next week we'll be featuring a full interview with Charlie Taylor, general manager of digital marketing at VW who will explain exactly why the brand has chosen to put all its eggs in one iPhone-shaped basket...
Pictures courtesy of Autoblog.com
The German automaker, via AKQA, New York, has enlisted the mobile gaming expertise of Aussie developers, Firemint - best known for their iPhone title Real Racing which has an average App Store rating of 4 stars and has long sat in the top ten racing games available on the device. Making no attempt to differentiate its branded offering from the original (indeed, why would they?) VW has called its app simply Real Racing GTI. Essentially a stripped down version of the £3.99 full title, the free game provides users with one main track on which they can race six different version of the new sports hatch.
www.firemint.com
Different modes of gameplay are available - including Quick Race which chucks gamers straight onto the grid with five other cars and Time Trial - a battle against the clock after which users can submit their best time to an online leaderboard and even post a replay direct to YouTube. The quickest racers will be in with a chance of winning one of six brand-spanking real-world GTIs. A virtual showroom also allows for a closer look at the new car without worrying about clipping apexes or being undertaken...
Perhaps most significantly, the cost of this application and indeed the whole launch is estimated to be around $500,000 (according to Ad Age). In comparison, VW spent $60 million on promoting the launch of the MK 5 GTI in 2006 with big media buys across prime time TV etc. Isolating all promotional activity to this one platform may sound risky, however, Apple recently announced that sales of the iPhone stood at 7.4 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 - up 7% over last year. Furthermore, the iPod Touch is now being re-positioned as a gaming device as much as a personal media player, with a 64GB version now available with faster innards which make it better suited to handling sophisticated graphics etc.
Be sure to stay tuned for updates - next week we'll be featuring a full interview with Charlie Taylor, general manager of digital marketing at VW who will explain exactly why the brand has chosen to put all its eggs in one iPhone-shaped basket...
Pictures courtesy of Autoblog.com
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