Infiniti: MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Sponsorship

Advertiser: INFINITI

Product/Service: CARS & AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE

Date of First Appearance: Aug 11 2010

Entrant Company: OMD, New York, USA

Entry URL: http://www.facebook.com/Infiniti

Group Director: Jeannine Ramer (OMD)

Strategist: Vanessa Hill (OMD)

Senior Manager, Media & Experiential: Kathy Roznowski (Infiniti)

Manager, Media & Experiential: Meghan Murphy (Infiniti)

Media placement: Print (Full-Page, 4 Color) - Harper's Bazaar, Popular Mechanics, Town & County, Esquire, SmartMoney, And O, T - 1 November 2010



Insights, Strategy & the Idea

For the fifth consecutive year, INFINITI had the opportunity to sponsor Pebble Beach’s Concours D’Elegance: The premiere luxury automotive event. The 60th annual Concours D’Elegance gathered affluent automobile enthusiasts in a celebration of design and prestige.



In previous years, INFINITI created unique lifestyle & design exhibitions that showcased the values of the brand. With the Pebble Beach event celebrating a 60-year milestone, INFINITI faced the challenge of communicating its own mythology that resonated among its target affluent customers, despite being a relatively young name in luxury.



The story of the Infiniti brand had to appeal to experience-seekers who integrate art and design into their daily lives, and want their car to be a statement about their uniqueness. To do so, we centred INFINITI’s presence at the event on how inspiration drives the design of INFINITI vehicles, and we involved these “Passionate Curators” in the process.



Creative Execution

INFINITI created a variety of programs that allowed guests to immerse themselves in all aspects of the brand, in addition to a year-long print partnership with Heart publications targeting the event’s audience.



-- Design and Inspiration: Guests could interact with a digital “Shodo” brush, creating the iconic Japanese gestures that inspire the design of each INFINITI vehicle.



-- Performance: Using body movements, guests were able to interact with an immersive display showcasing the vehicles’ performance features; Guests experienced the thrill of driving an INFINITI first-hand with “Rides and Drives” throughout the event; and INFINITI’s performance line was also revealed at this event.



-- Luxury and Technology: A multi-media screen revealed key attributes of INFINITI vehicles, illustrating the principle of anticipatory hospitality within each narrative.



-- Prestige and Lifestyle: VIP Cocktail Receptions and Food & Wine experiences took brand values beyond the vehicles.



Results and Effectiveness

A 36% increase in event attendees allowed INFINITI’s program to be experienced by its largest Concourse D’Elegance audience to date. The increased attendees coincided with an increase in the number of Ride & Drives over the previous year.



There was also a 25% increase in press check-ins at the INFINITI sponsored Media Centre, providing Infiniti with an increased opportunity to create positive PR. The total estimated impressions to date from press coverage are over 53,903,230.



Despite maintaining a steady 28% increase in sales over 2009 (through November), sales for INFINITI jumped 40% and 49% YOY in August and September respectively.