Adweek – April 29, 2019

There was a time when experiential marketing was a niche category, a simple add-on in a brand’s overall strategy. That time is over. Experiential activations have become more ambitious than ever—extraordinarily creative, inventive and engaging. With our inaugural Adweek Experiential Awards, we celebrate the talent behind the past year’s most impressive initiatives, and we can’t wait to see what next year brings.

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Experiential Activation by Auto Brand
Porsche Presents: The E-JOLT
Brand: Porsche
Agency: Cramer-Krasselt

Occasionally, a ride-share passenger will hit the jackpot and a luxury car will unexpectedly pull up, much to the passenger’s delight. Porsche wanted to re-create that feeling of amazing good fortune with its Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid in an activation. But to show off its 680 horsepower, the brand couldn’t exactly unleash it on public roads. “For a lot of people, it’s just a fascinating moment to get in the car,” says Marshall Ross, CCO, Porsche.

So the high-end car brand created E-JOLT, an item on a café menu, that when ordered lets unsuspecting people go on a joy ride in the Panamera on a test track. Porsche looked at how hybrid cars are traditionally framed—“They’re very good for the environment, but not very fun for drivers,” says Ross—and aimed to change that perception.

Porsche also wanted to reach the next generation of drivers, so that when someone is ready to purchase a luxury car, Porsche is there to “get them out of something boring and into something thrilling,” says Ross.

The E-JOLT film was viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube, and searches for the car increased 57% on YouTube and Google. Porsche added the E-JOLT as a permanent item on café menus at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Globally, its dealerships now use the film in marketing materials.

Porsche presents: The E-JOLT