Volkswagen Renews its Partnership with Snapchat and Boosts its Image with Augmented Reality

In 2020, Volkswagen launched its first electric car model: ID.3. This milestone in the brand's journey was supported by a multi-format Snapchat campaign. Three years later, the car manufacturer launched a new version of the ID.3 and turned to Snapchat again. Volkswagen wanted to promote its model and raise its profile in a fun and innovative way. With the average age on Snapchat being 35, the platform was particularly well suited to relaying messages to first-time buyers. The Snapchat campaign took place as part of a multi-media campaign, just a few weeks before the new ID.3 was launched on the French market.

The campaign, which ran between June and July 2023, included skippable and non-skippable videos (Snap Ads and Commercial Ads) as well as an augmented reality lens, jointly devised with agencies Re-Mind PHD and DDB. The idea behind the Lens was simple: offer a fun, immersive, and useful experience! By placing their hand in front of the camera, Snapchatters were projected behind the wheel of the vehicle and given a 360-degree view, including the model's new features (seats, display panel, etc.). Snapchatters could also open the door and view the model, which they could then customise with different colours and rims. 

This Lens was accessible through the app and via Snapcodes in car dealerships which allowed visitors to enjoy the immersive experience.

Thanks to this multi-format approach (videos and augmented reality), the campaign reached its target audience: almost 3.8 million Snapchatters over the age of 25. The innovative nature of the campaign had a strong impact on recall, with a 12-point improvement in awareness of the Volkswagen ID.3 model and a 6-point increase in the association with Volkswagen as an electric vehicle manufacturer⁵. Finally, the fun and innovative nature of augmented reality generated a high level of audience engagement, with more than 16 seconds spent with the Lens on average.