Drivers, start your Twitter.
Toronto-area auto dealer Pfaff Auto is encouraging potential customers to go from zero to 140 characters in a new contest developed by its agency, Lowe Roche.
The Pfaff Tweet Race invites people to sign in with their Twitter account at PfaffTweetRace.com and enter a race to enlist followers. The first 10 contestants to gain 2,500 new followers on the social media site will each win a key, one of which will unlock a 2013 Audi A4 with a one-year lease and a tuning package worth $5,000.
“We wanted to engage car enthusiasts and, like all the initiatives we do with Pfaff, do something that hasn’t been done before,” said Dave Douglass, Lowe Roche’s co-chief creative officer. “We’re trying to do things that are unique and inspiring.”
The contest will run for two months or until the 10 finalists have been determined, whichever comes first.
Pfaff attracted significant media attention last month for a targeted direct mail piece aimed at high-income households that featured a picture of a Porsche 911 taken outside their home – though not on their property – accompanied by the tagline “It’s closer than you think.”
“We’re trying to do innovative new media things and gather some earned media,” said Douglass. “We have other executions coming up that will be similar. It’s just to set them apart because they are a very unique dealership.”
The Pfaff Tweet Race initiative is being supported by in-dealership materials and on the dealer’s website, as well as through blogger outreach. There is also a print ad in The National Post that features a product shot of the A4, accompanied by the message “Update your status with status.”
The core target for the Twitter contest is high-end automotive enthusiasts, with a slight male skew, said Douglass. Twitter’s ability to quickly multiply the number of people aware of both the contest and Pfaff makes it a desirable marketing channel, he added.
“Twitter is an incredible marketing tool,” said Douglass. “With the amount of people we can reach, especially with the snowball effect of everyone passing it on and trying to get 2,500 followers, the momentum you can gain from that is incredible.”
