Pontiac had a hot new car to sell - the Solstice Roadster. The first step was creating a high impact early-order programme to sell the first 1,000 Pontiac Solstices. While Pontiac needed to generate awareness of the Solstice, quickly, they also wanted to create the impression that this car is so hot that there aren’t enough to go around. They had to build immediate interest and credibility in their all new brand.

Solstice early orders were generated by using one of the most watched shows on television – The Apprentice with Donald Trump. Merely advertising on the show wasn’t going to build the enthusiasm and credibility needed to generate the first 1,000 orders; no, the Solstice needed to be integrated into the programme. The apprentice were challenged to create a sales brochure for the Solstice to generate awareness and ultimately sales. The real-life early-order program, that drove viewers to a website and then to retail, was communicated in a commercial adjacent to the Solstice integration in the program.

The promotion delivered against all goals. Over 11M consumers watched the Apprentice episode showcasing the Solstice. The first 1000 Solstices sold out in 41 minutes, generating $20M of revenue for Pontiac. 40,000 consumers went on-line for Solstice early-order certificates, resulting in 5,500 waitlisted orders. Pontiac.com web traffic increased 1400% during the Apprentice airing. Pontiac was so enthusiastic about the winning design that they actually produced it and had it in dealerships when the Apprentice aired. The Solstice now outsells the all new Mazda MX-5 Miata, previously the segment leader.

The Solstice is the sexiest, hottest vehicle in the Pontiac portfolio; its introduction demanded something more than a traditional launch effort for an early order program. This new face of Pontiac needed to be embedded into the actual content of the program – thereby embedding itself into the viewer’s experience with the program. This, coupled with Donald Trumph’s endorsement, would surely generate credibility and momentum for the all new Solstice. The end result of the Apprentice program was richer consumer engagement with the brand and message, as well as image transfer from key program equities.

Steve Sitek, and Deborah Bernard