Want To Stand Out To Chinese Consumers? A Flying Car Helps
In an interview with Jing Daily, Goodstein Creative Director Georg Warga discusses his viral Volkswagen campaign and what Chinese consumers want.
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- In the most general sense, how has the consumer landscape in China changed since eight years ago, when you first arrived?
- Goodstein was the first China firm to win a Gold award at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in 2013 for the Peoples' Car Project, an interactive campaign for Volkswagen that solicited "dream car" designs from the public. Thirty million people submitted over 260,000 car ideas. How was the campaign promoted and at what point did it go viral?
- We see a lot of social media campaigns that do free giveaways if the follower refers the post to friends. The Volkswagen campaign has a stronger call to action that requires creativity. What inspired the campaign and in turn, its participants?
- In addition to the online call for design submissions, the campaign also incorporated a reality series featuring eight student teams and celebrity mentors. What was the rationale behind using this format as opposed to more traditional advertising or a short film commercial?
- Director and competition mentor Jia Zhangke notes that to own a car is still considered a Chinese dream.
- For many Chinese, owning a car is still very aspirational. What are some key differences between marketing aspirational luxury items and mass consumer goods?
- The Peoples’ Car Project asks people to imagine their dream car, and I was reminded of Xi Jinping's declaration of the "Chinese Dream." Did your team glean any insights into what the “Chinese Dream” looks like based on the 260,000 ideas submitted? What were some major themes that surfaced during the vetting process?
- One of the campaign slogans is "making of an original." Yet, the campaign also promotes the idea that car innovation is a marker of civilizational progress, linking the outcome of the design competition to a major moment in Chinese (auto) history. Therefore, the campaign is both forward-looking and rooted in tradition. What role does history play when it comes to innovation marketing in China?
- According to a recent Business Insider article, the Chinese car market grew nearly 14 percent in 2013, extending its lead in the global market. As the market continues to grow and consumers become savvier, what are some trends you see in car marketing in 2014 and beyond?
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