Alfa Romeo: EXPEDITION 147

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Internet/Online Advertising in a Promotional Campaign

Advertiser: ALFA ROMEO BELGIUM

Product/Service: ALFA ROMEO

Agency: DUVAL GUILLAUME

Date of First Appearance: Dec 23 2009 12:00AM

Entrant Company: DUVAL GUILLAUME, Antwerp, BELGIUM

Entry URL: http://www.news-from-duvalguillaume.com/cannes2010/alfaromeo_expedition147/

Creative Director: Geoffrey Hantson (Duval Guillaume / Antwerp)

Art Director: Carsten van Berkel (Duval Guillaume / Antwerp)

Art Director: Stefan Leendertse (Duval Guillaume / Antwerp)

Account Director: Dimitri Mundorff (Duval Guillaume / Antwerp)

Creative Director, Interactive: Lansen Walraet (Duval Guillaume / Antwerp)

Design: Michael de Boevé (Duval Guillaume / Antwerp)

Director: Kurt de Leijer (Caviar)

Producer: Dieter Lebbe / Toon Opdenacker (Caviar)

Media placement: Microsite - Www.expedition147.be - 23 December 2009



Describe the objective of the promotion.

Every two years car salesmen gather together at the Brussels car fair. A very important fair cause, it accounts for up to 35% of the whole year’s sales. So a huge amount of money is spent on advertising. Or rather, it’s spent on media. Because for something this important, who would want to risk doing something different? But Alfa Romeo briefed us to do something that would dominate word of mouth, rather than paid media. Which is fortunate, because their budget is much smaller than most of their competitors. But just like the others, the only thing we could talk about was price.



Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Basically the idea is to make people talk. But how do you get people talking about a sales promotion? Their exact words for the Alfa Romeo 147 in the briefing were ‘we can’t go any lower’. We took that literally. So we flew across the world to the Marianna Trench, to put a billboard on the lowest point on earth: 11000 metres below sea level. We captured the adventure in an online film. And then launched it with nothing more than a press release.



Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

While the other big brands spent a fortune on traditional media, the only real price campaign which was picked up and talked about was Alfa Romeo’s. All disposable 147’s were sold! And Alfa Romeo ended the car fair with nothing but records. Not only did they send 80% more cars then this time last year, they also broke their all time Brussels car fair sales record by nearly 20%. And best of all, they managed to make their cars cheap without making the brand cheap.



Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Use word of mouth for sales promotion rather than paid media. So you have to get people to talk. We did.