Cutting-edge technology is everywhere in today’s China, deployed in ways that are seamless, convenient, and disruptive. China is fast becoming a cashless society. Every kind of good or service can be purchased by app. AI, AR, and biometric technologies are deployed in astonishingly simple ways – at new generation convenience stores, for example. But if technology is everywhere, how can it serve humans even more? Can technology be less clinical and bring smiles instead? Can we “play” technology? Can SUVs be both technologically advanced and playful?

We had four short video stories bringing Volkswagen technology to life in ways that made consumers smile. But those were just the start. We needed Volkswagen to be “played” – in light games, and in fact through self-edited short videos. Three pillars, three ways in which Volkswagen sparked fun and play, three platforms for sharing and community – and generating brand love.

In December we launched “Human Indicator,” a video that demonstrated Volkswagen’s swiping LED technology in the humorous setting of a fashion show’s runway. This first of three videos was distributed and shared on video platforms Sohu and Tencent Video, with games hosted by gaming platforms like Bilibili “expressing” VW tech and allowing consumers playful ways to experience it. Simultaneously we leveraged the intelligence of Chinese consumers on the knowledge sharing/social platforms Zhihu and QDaily, starting a conversation about technology and life. On core social platforms Wechat and Weibo, we engaged grassroots influences and more well known KOLs to share branded content and amplify Volkswagen’s alignment with human technology.

Later, we extended the most popular UGC element of the video phase: Content related to music, given Volkswagen’s partnership with Beats. We inspired China to create “T-dances” (all Volkswagen SUVs begin with the letter T) on Miaopai and created a sensation.

Results were spectacular in scale and efficiency. The three videos received more than 14 million views, and surpassed internal reach KPIs at a view rate 14% above benchmark. The campaign prompted nearly 67k user generated content items at a cost 38% below benchmark. Our engagement (shares, likes, etc.) of more than 3.8 million for the videos was 29% better than benchmark. Our cost per engagement on the games was 24% lower than estimate. Over 2,500 consumers followed “seeding” KOLs – those talented in dancing: Submitting their T-dances on the core video and social platforms, yielding over 2.1 billion views.

Beyond all of this, we succeeded in making Volkswagen part of the China conversation – aligning the brand with human technology, humor, SUV relevance, and a more confident and playful Chinese present and future.