Volkswagen Launches AR Driving Experience on Amazon Boxes
Porsche SE’s Volkswagen will promote its 2022 Taos SUV with a web-based augmented reality (WebAR) driving experience via QR codes on specially-designed Amazon shipping boxes.
Scanning the QR code unlocks four unique “musical moods” (Road Tripping, Rhythm Kicking, Smooth Gliding and City Vibing) inspired by Volkswagen’s newest addition to the SUV fleet. Each musical mood has its own color and users can shift chords by guiding their Taos through various hotspots on a 3D map, according to a recent media release from Volkswagen. The technology also creates shareable recordings of these drives that unlock three free months of Amazon Music Unlimited, ad-free, when activated by users.
More than one million branded Volkswagen boxes, communicating a “Joy is a state of drive” message, will be shipped to Amazon shoppers across the country, though anyone can preview the experience online.
Driving and music have always been a perfect pairing,” said Kimberley Gardiner, senior vice president, brand marketing at Volkswagen, in the release. “This innovative, virtual introduction to our all-new Taos gives potential buyers a unique, music-driven way to experience another moment of joy from this SUV.”
The virtual Taos experience is a follow-up to Volkswagen of America's fall TV ad campaigns “Drive” and “Road is Home,” created in collaboration with The Community, a creative agency for Volkswagen of America. The Amazon box experience aims to bring the “rhythm and style” of those TV spots to life, according to the release.
“Our challenge was to evoke joy, creating a connection to the campaign work, through a different medium,” said Christopher Neff, vice president of innovation & technology at The Community, in the release. “We were inspired by the origins of the music box and added the visual spectacle of WebAR plus interactive music for a truly sensory experience.”
To reach millennials, car companies have increasingly embraced social media and other mobile-powered platforms that account for the majority of the automotive market.
