71% of Americans use reviews from family members or friends to make decisions on using a particular company, brand or product. Another 34-50% trust the experience of online friends or strangers. These insights ring particularly true for the younger generation.In an effort to introduce millennials to the all-new 2012 Chevy Sonic subcompact vehicle, influence their opinion, and get them talking, Chevrolet leveraged Klout, a company that measures online influence, to implement the first ever national automotive Klout Perk. With just 6 weeks to plan and execute, the program targeted Klout users in 5 key markets by providing them with 3-day vehicle loans to create authentic online and offline awareness and enthusiasm for the Sonic by encouraging them to use social media to share their driving experiences. Influencer parties engaged additional consumers in each market and media outreach generated additional buzz. In just 5 weeks, the program exceeded expectations by engaging 280 influencers (and their networks) and surpassed its goal by 131%with more than 16,000 social media shares. In addition, the campaign resulted in 39 media and blog posts and directly contributed to at least 1 vehicle sale.

Target/Plan (1 Week)• Developed landing page, which was optimised for sharing, to invite qualified influencers in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, New York and San Francisco to sign up for the Perk on Klout.com.• Drafted internal FAQ and press release;• Conducted national and in-market media outreach.Invite (2 Days)• Klout invited target consumers to opt into the campaign via Klout.com, email and Twitter.Engage (5 Weeks)• Loan recipients received a pre- and post-loan email with the campaign hashtag and were invited to receive a vehicle discount;• Executed 5 in-market Chevy Sonic Klout Up parties to create additional buzz. Measure (Throughout)• Co-ordinated with Klout to respond to social media issues or concerns;• Documented completion of loans;• Measured the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs and traditional media;• Conducted daily monitoring of online conversations to identify any that require a response.

1.• Exceeded goal by 13%, generating 16,211 total social media shares - including hundreds who shared their positive opinion and many discussing desire to purchase;• 4 YouTube videos;• 39 unique media and blog placements - including coverage in Advertising Age, MediaPost, Brand Channel and CRM magazine, generating 762,000 impressions;• Klout indicated this was one of the most successful campaigns yet and they received inquiries from other auto manufacturers.2.• Loans were filled in 2 days;• Met 100% of influencer engagement goal: 280 influencers participated (130 completed loans and 150 attended Klout Ups);• Average Klout score: 54;• 130 completed vehicle loans;• True reach: 10.4m;• True impressions: 29m; • Total impressions: 72m.3.• Vehicle discount code requests: 3;• Confirmed purchase to date: 1;• Several social media shares with intent to purchase.