VW: Bloggers wanted?

As a follow up to my class presentation last week, I wanted to look at how another car company was using social media as a strategic communications tool.

Volkswagen has always used a non-traditional approach in their advertising to sell their cars. VW’s ads have helped to create a strong brand image that promotes innovation, intelligence and style which is something that I think could translate well to a social media campaign.



What I found is that while VW is using social media, I don’t think that their strategy is effective to reach the right audiences and sell more cars.

VW’s social media campaign is narrowly-focused on the diesel engine line which is promoted through a blog called TDI Truth and Dare. On the blog, viewers can watch TDI videos, compete in a driving competition and follow an online racing series. While these tactics might appeal to a TDI enthusiast, I don’t think this campaign would draw or hold the attention of the average VW customer or a new car buyer.

For example, VW’s 2009 Rabbit was named Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000 by Kelley Blue Book. VW should have used this opportunity to create a social media campaign targeted at young drivers buying their first car who are looking for something inexpensive but also sporty and fun to drive.

The 2010 Mazda 3 campaign, which we viewed in class, is a much better example of a social media campaign that was highly successful in promoting Mazda’s brand to a mass audience.

VW should use their strength of a strong brand image, reputable for quality, style and substance, to create a social media strategy that reinforces this message to engage their publics.