In an effort to promote its annual Health Check program, Audi Canada and agency partner BIMM put a few lucky customers in the passenger seat of car designed for something a bit more thrilling than a daily commute.
The Audi Health Check Surprise Shuttle is featured in a YouTube video that shows unsuspecting car owners being offered a lift in the 2014 Audi R8 V10 Plus Coupé (outfitted as an authentic German emergency services vehicle) while their car is being inspected.
The Toronto PR stunt was designed to demonstrate the level of commitment Audi has to its current and former customers, said Roehl Sanchez, executive vice-president and chief creative officer at BIMM, as well as to lure out-of-warranty owners back to Audi dealerships, preventing them from going elsewhere for service.
“Most marketing dollars are spent on the sell, not on the service of the car,” said Sanchez. “When you buy a car, there’s a honeymoon stage, and after you don’t visit the dealership as much. Audi really wants to keep a relationship with its customers.”
The use of the specialized R8 model was an obvious play on the “Health Check” theme, he said.
The Health Check program is offered twice a year and gives all out-of-warranty owners a complimentary 30-point vehicle inspection and six months of Audi roadside assistance at no charge. (Sanchez wouldn’t comment on how much out-of-warranty service business Audi loses to other dealerships.)
BIMM is the CRM digital agency of record for Audi Canada. Its video is airing on YouTube and Audi Canada’s site. BIMM also launched an e-mail marketing campaign that sent the video to all Audi out-of-warranty customers.
In-store signage has also been erected in dealerships to promote the Health Check program, which runs from July 15 to Sept. 15.
