The Challenge
Bugatti’s are one of the few products that sell out before production even begins. But, after a ten-year draught without any new product to talk about, fan engagement was at an all time low. So Bugatti needed to ensure that they were still considered the most coveted supercars in fifty years to come.
And for most, Bugatti’s are an unattainable dream; a poster on the wall in their home; a figment of their imagination. But we had a strategy to turn the brand’s inactivity into an advantage. By drip-feeding social content full of hints, clues and Easter Eggs we utilised the mysterty of the unknown and inspired a future generation of fans and owners to imagine the new Bugatti before they’d even seen it.
The Idea
It was the power of the imagination that fuelled our big idea, that only Bugatti can create the supercar of your wildest dreams. To kick start the campaign, we released a suspenseful teaser video that only revealed the evocative engine sound of the new Bugatti. With a mysterious voiceover, our video evokes strong symbolism to the Le Mans 24-hour race, Bugatti has deep legacy with.
Teaser Film: Before the Dawn.
Thus #ImagineBugatti was born
Thus #ImagineBugatti was born. And it literally drove fans mad. To expand the brand audience, the new Bugatti concept was being revealed to the world within the most realistic drive simulation game, Gran Turismo. Our campaign used subtle Easter Eggs in the social posts that nodded towards their renewed partnership. Whether it was putting the GT founder in a Bugatti, or the Gran Turismo logo hidden within the key campaign image, fans picked up the message and spread the word.
We then began revealing the intricate, close-up 3D renderings of the GT Vision to allow fans to begin piecing together the car within their own imaginations before they even laid an eye on it. They shared their visual interpretations via social media, and discussed the possibilities of what was coming next. We reactively tailored our content to their responses and rewarded fans that noticed the hidden messages with a link to the microsite for them to discover exclusive content.
An immersive microsite became the hub of all activity, ultimately hosting the live-streamed unveiling of the fully-operational Bugatti Vision GT at The Frankfurt Motor Show of 2016, which went on to promote the release of the new Bugatti Chiron.
The Results
The low-cost campaign achieved over 1.1 million user engagements, our teaser video – which only featured the road and sound of the engine – became Bugatti’s third most watched video, and created a lasting relationship with a new audience. Once again, we executed a uniquely powerful communication campaign for a brand that had never done any conceptual marketing before.