Automotive brands online: Summer 2010

Renault—The Mégane Experiment: “Can a car change a town?”

The premise: In 2010 Renault discovered a set of fascinating statistics. According to the figures, towns with more Mégane were happier, had higher rates of fertility and longer life expectancies. To put this theory to the test, they’ve sent Claude, a ‘consultant de joie’ to Gisburn (Lancashire), a town with no Méganes and apparently very little joie de vivre, to conduct ‘The Mégane Experiment‘.

Done by Publicis, the Renault UK campaign takes a light-hearted Anglo-French cultural comparison of the two distinct villages, basically telling the people of Gisburn that their town and people are crap and they need to do something. Watch Claude, the self-proclaimed “joie de vivre” expert, as he attempts to educate the people of Gisburn on the subject and introduces the Mégane car model as the thing that can bring joy to the city.

The Mégane Experiment‘ is hilarious in a French Borat kind of way.

Volkswagen—Anyone for a Sunday Drive?

Volkswagen Canada resurrects the oft-forgotten Sunday drive. The campaign for the new VW Golf by Red Urban asks what happened to the spirit of of the Sunday drive. “Anyone for a Sunday Drive?” campaign is true to the Volkswagen spirit: Cheeky, fun-to-drive aspects of VW. It’s for people who don’t just drive to go from Point A to Point B; It’s for people who simply love to drive.

Don’t forget to go to Remix Road and have fun—‘S Wonderful, ‘S Marvelous is definitely in my head now!

Note: I didn’t see this anywhere on the site, but supposedly Canadians also have the opportunity to record their own Sunday driving experiences and share them online.

Ford Fiesta—The Fiesta Project

Ford Fiesta kicks up the summer with The Fiesta Project where they asked real people to come up creative ways to put the new 2011 Fiesta to the test. Interesting videos are then shot, from “Fiesta vs. Lamborghini” to “Dawn of The New Key Fob.”

Because there are no direct sales pitch per se and that “How Much Can It Bear?” has a touch of Super Troopers spirit, this one stands out in my book.

Jeep—The Things We Make, Make Us.

Jeep has been allover television and the web lately with its “The Things We Make, Make Us” campaign for Grand Cherokee. The slight note of propaganda takes you to a journey through American industrialism, patriotism and everyday hard-working people. It’s not war propaganda, it’s a propaganda of America’s manufacturing prowess.

I like the tone, the big, bold typography, the video and the clanking in the music. It reinforces the manifesto: “Our newest son was imagined, drawn, stamped, hewn and forged here.” This 2011 Grand Cherokee is 100% American, and I like it.

KIA Sportage—What’s Your Sportage Style?

KIA Sportage adds a little Facebook chatter to their web presence, starting from a simple tab on Facebook that invites you to experience and share your Sportage 360° thoughts to a sleek Flash microsite with nice scene building, extreme close-ups of features and an FB Chatter page.

Sadly, not that many people join in the chatter.

Other notables:

Volvo—Naughty S60: Microsite and on Facebook asking “Which City is the Naughty Capital of Europe?”

Toyota Camry—Autobiography: Strong Facebook presence to support TV buy. Facebook application allows you to tell your Toyota Story and upload your video.