What if we could convince a large group of e-mobility disbelievers that e-cars can meet their driving needs? We chose an influencer with exact that fan base and challenged him to an unusual test drive captured on film!

We turned to one of Germany’s leading “petrolheads,” a popular car tuning expert, to try out the app and learn whether an e-car is suitable. The app would prove that e-mobility was not simply a viable alternative, more sustainable, and preferable to gas or diesel cars. The challenge was accepted.

The gap between range and performance was our sweet spot. We’d focus on the fun part: e-vehicle performance vs. gas-powered cars.

Our petrolhead would push a racecar to its limit, our app would compare its performance and JP then validates the results in the Tesla. If we could win him over, he could win over his fans, and open minds toward e-mobility.

EnBW’s one-of-a-kind app calculates and stores real-time speed and distance and has a database of all 39 e-vehicles available in Germany. When the app was ready for primetime, we announced JP Performance’s upcoming shoot in a video.

At the Bilster Berg raceway, with a cameraman passenger, JP raced a Lexus, storing trip data on the app. We documented the test live via Instagram Stories.

The app then recommended a comparable e-vehicle: the Tesla P100D, top speed 250 kilometers per hour. JP floored the accelerator; the car performed admirably, using only 6% of its battery power.

While driving, JP commented on the Tesla’s performance, entertained his social media fans, and discussed the potential of e-vehicles and the app. JP released the video on his YouTube channel; we linked posts on Facebook, aired coverage on EnBW channels, and also released the kind of entertaining “behind-the-scenes” footage with JP that fans love.

PR exceeded its goal while helping to fuel a quiet revolution in Europe’s biggest car market as Germany is poised to become the No. 3 electric car market.

BUSINESS OUTCOMES:

The campaign boosted consumer awareness of the app. The campaign objective — 4,000 app downloads — was exceeded by 1400%. There were more than 56,000 downloads.

From 2017 to 2018, electric car sales rose by 58.3%, according to the Federal Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Drivers.

TARGET AUDIENCE OUTCOMES:

Our primary film was viewed 1+ million times. In all, the campaign reached more than 3.9 million consumers who interacted more than 1.5 million times with our content, including film, video, and social media. Within 10 days of our video’s release, app users undertook 40,000 test drives, using the app.

There were 3,300 e-mobility comments from JP Performance’s community, compared to only a few comments prior on the topic. TouchBenny, a JP fan, said his e-vehicle was “more than sufficient for my daily life and driving within the city and the performance is amazing! … I’m really looking forward to the future and I’ll continue to drive electric cars.” Petrolhead Halo Lieberster Clude 99 commented, “[Y]ou can’t deny that the electro engine is the drive of the future and those cars are working just fine in daily life.”

MEDIA OUTPUTS:

Print news outlets covered the JP test, boosting awareness of the EnBW app and bringing attention to its usefulness for car shoppers with specific driving needs.