Volvo Stakes Claim to Twilight

Posted on by Chief Marketer Staff

Apparently vampires can sell everything to teens and tweens, from fast food to packing tape. But cars?

Car maker Volvo says it has proof O-positive that a tie-in with the new vromance “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is right for a market it wants to reach. That’s why Volvo fielded a digital U.S. campaign in November to tap into the appeal of the latest screen installment of the popular novel series by Stephenie Meyer.

In both the books and the movies — this new one and last year’s “Twilight” — the hunky but undead hero Edward Cullen drives a Volvo, a C30 last year and a C60 this time out. And it was the four-minute screen appearance of that car in the 2008 movie that convinced Volvo that it shared a key demographic — namely, women — with the Twilight franchise.

“The car became an extension of the heroic character,” says Volvo’s national ad director Linda Gangeri. “We saw that buzz proliferate around social media, and the dealers saw an increase in traffic around the C30. And we had a huge surge in our Web site traffic relative to the C30 two times — when the movie released and when the DVD came out.”

So when producers Summit Entertainment offered a placement deal for the second picture, Volvo came alive. The online campaign, WhatDrivesEdward.com, offered six weeks of puzzles relating to both “Twilight” and romance, and gave entrants the social media tools to share and talk about the solutions, with an XC60 as grand prize.

Honestly, though, does it make sense to market cars through a movie aimed at the learner’s permit set?

“‘I’m out in L.A. now preparing to go to the premiere with two winners of our ticket giveaway contest,” Gangeri said in November. “The ‘Twi-hards’ are lining the streets for blocks and blocks, and believe me, the demographic takes in women of all ages.”

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