The four most effective automotive PR and advertising campaigns of 2018/19

If there’s one thing we enjoy more than PR - it’s writing about cars. So, what better blog to write than one about some of our favourite, inspirational automotive PR and advertising campaigns in recent years? The great benefit of public relations for automotive manufacturers is that each one already has a collection of global fans, who are already anticipating the brand’s next move.

This means that when a new campaign’s released (as long as it’s impressive), it’s almost guaranteed to receive positive feedback and stick at the forefront of an audience's mind.

1. Lexus: driven by intuition
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Shot by Oscar-winning Director Kevin Macdonald, the Lexus Driven by Intuition uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to select the common elements required to make a script. From there, additional and unique data from the Lexus brand was added to keep things original and create an advert written entirely by AI.

The advert amassed nearly 100,000 views on YouTube and depicts the perfect collaboration between man and machine. The story seamlessly demonstrates how the new Lexus ES, self-charging hybrid model is designed to predict the driver’s intentions, as well as road and traffic conditions.

Watch it here:

2. Mustang: Speed Dating
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Perfectly timed for valentine’s day, Mustang released their Speed Dating video on YouTube to help address the outdated cliché that woman isn’t very good at driving.

Ford selected its pick of young actors who thought they were auditioning for a new dating show by meeting up with the show’s lead star. Unbeknown to them, she was a professional stunt driver who quickly invited them to play passenger in her Mustang. She starts by pretending she’s struggling to drive, then kicks into full stunt mode and shows them her high-speed skills.
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With millions of YouTube views, the video quickly went viral. Be warned, you can’t watch this video without a smile creeping across your face (watch it and see for yourself). 

3. Ford: Try More
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Advertised via social media and TV, Ford’s Canadian ‘Try More’ campaign was devised with an interactive, experience-led element in mind. The ultimate goal was to encourage potential customers to try new things, subtly alluding to the brand’s redesign of its core models.
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Ford hosted a series of live events with activities such as axe throwing, bull riding and MMA open for people to test out, all while showcasing its new models onsite to encourage attendees to test drive the models and experience the redesigned vehicles in action.

4. BMW: Road to Coachella
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As Coachella’s first-ever automotive sponsorship partner, BMW’s target audience for this campaign was millennials and Generation Z, perfect for those attending Festival. The BMW #RoadtoCoachella campaign hired singer Khalid to create several designs for a fleet of BMW i plug-in hybrid vehicles that were positioned at several ‘pit-stops’ on the road to Coachella, which featured competitions, concerts and food trucks.

Using ten influential celebrities to bolster and boost the campaign, these influencers documented their journey to Coachella, posting and sharing social media content to raise the campaign’s profile and encourage Coachella attendees to document their own #RoadtoCoachella using the hashtag.
The campaign also featured well-known Coachella performers, including Marshmello and Hans Zimmer’s all-star orchestra.

Image credit: mirroredmedia.com

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