What sells a car, or any object for that matter? Are the reasons purely practical? In some cases, yes. But when it comes to selling luxury, it’s all about emotion.
I’m not saying it’s only luxury cars that are sold on emotion. Actually, relatively few things in life are pure necessity. Most of what we value is based on perception, on some intangible that has been created (see the TED Talk at the end of the post).
The most meaningful objects are the objects that reflect your true self, the true story of who you are, the story you’re telling yourself and no one else, because that’s the only audience that matters.
- Rob Walker, Author & Columnist at NYT Magazine, from the documentary “Objectified”
The good brands know this: BMW calls their 3 series “Engineered Emotion” and Audi has this microsite for its new A1. While there may not be a substitute for a real-life test drive, Audi does a great job of creating an engaging, emotionally charged experience — online.
So how does Audi create emotion with their microsite? Here are five components that do the trick:
1) Music
In many ways, music tells us what to feel and what to think. It’s hugely emotional. And for many of us, our choice in music is a big part of our identity. The selection of music on the A1 microsite does a good job of a) conveying a feeling of youth and freedom and b) connecting with the target market. You think: “I like this music, how it makes me feel. I can see myself feeling good in this car!”
Going a step further, you are able to see the artist and song title, and even download the music. Now that you own the music that represents the car, you’re one emotional step closer to owning the car.
2) Style Guide
What’s the “Style Guide?” Well, you pick the city scape, personal look, and activity that best represent you, and Audi presents you with your uniquely configured A1. A little frivolous? Perhaps. While there may be some practical benefit, supposing the decision engine magically picks the right colour-combo and feature set that you’d actually want, the real benefit is in the emotional connection it creates. It’s making the connection between the car and other very important aspects of your personal narrative: your home, your clothes, and your hobbies.
On top of that, the images used to represent these things are incredibly emotional on their own, and, like the music, do a good job of representing the brand and the target market.
3) A Test Drive
No, not a real one. Instead, the “Take a Ride” feature puts you in the digital driver’s seat. You take or upload a picture, and then you get to see a video of your avatar zooming around Berlin in the A1. At the end of the short clip, you get your very own snaps of you in the car, which you can then download as desktop wallpaper.
Why does this work? Because actually seeing yourself in the car — even virtually — triggers an emotion that makes you feel almost like it’s already yours. You may have imagined yourself in an Audi; now you can see it!
4) Customizer
I’ve already written about the importance of EPO — Exclusive Product Offerings. People love to show how unique they are. With the “Customizer” you can design your fantasy A1, and then enter it to be judged against other designs from the around the world. How does this involve emotion? For one, it’s fun to play around with. But more importantly, by entering in to a competition like this, even if it’s in a small way, your sense of self-worth is now tied to the car. If your design makes it to the top, you’re going to feel good about it. If not, well…it was trivial anyway, right?
Side note 1: Audi also gets information about their potential customers because a profile is required to create a design. Side note 2: Audi gets to show off its racing and rally heritage.
5) Social Media
Now this I like: Right from the microsite, in the “Community” section, you can see what other people — real people — are saying about the brand in real-time, and around the world. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and blogs — they are all represented. It’s called “Community” because you can see what others like you are saying, and you can have a conversation with them. Emotionally, it falls in to the forming a tribe category: you feel good about yourself when you see that others like the same things and think the same way. Good for Audi too; it’s great news for a brand when people are forming tribes around their products. Examples: Apple fanboys, Lululemon yogis, and environmentally-conscious Prius drivers.
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So those are the 5 ways Audi has used a digital experience to sell us on emotion. I’ll end off the post with this awesome TED video, where Rory Sutherland talks about adding value to a product by changing our perception, rather than the product itself.