The Performer
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Middle East
Issue 36 | September 2015
Agency
Publicis Dubai
Creative Team
Regional Executive Creative Director Alex Brunori Creative Director Arvind Krishnan Art Director Avinash Namadhari
Other Credits
Client Services Director Charles Eddy Associate Account Director Hani Tayeh
Date
May 2015
Background
In the Middle East, Chrysler had a young ownership profile. For this reason, the brand had been a sponsor of the popular TV show 'Arabs Got Talent'. The brief was to strengthen the link between Chrysler and young Arabs through the show.
Idea
To connect the car, the show and its fans, the Chrysler 300C was turned into a musical instrument. 1,000 sounds of the car's engine were sampled and turned into musical notes which could be played through
the world's first re-targetable interactive print ad.
Using conductive ink, Bluetooth connectivity and Google Floodlight technology, 'The Performer' app allowed people to play the musical car sounds by connecting the ad to their smartphones.
The whole process was captured on film and turned into a five-part documentary.
The world's first playable posters were introduced into dealerships and banner ads were created in YouTube in which viewers could play the sounds of the car.
Results
The campaign got more than 5.6m video views across YouTube and Facebook, equivalent to 8.5 years of streaming time. Video view completion was 150% better than industry benchmarks. The increased awareness saw test drives increase for the Chrysler 300C by 286% year-on-year.
Our Thoughts
I find it amazing that this was shortlisted in Media but didn't even get that far in the Press or Outdoor categories. Print advertising is stuck in a rut. And here's an idea that shows what the future might look like, using interactive inks so that a connection can be established between the ad and a smartphone, turning the former into a keyboard and the latter into a soundbox. Okay, the technology is still fairly intrusive but it's one of the very few innovations I've seen in an entire category that has been bereft of ideas for a generation.