DDB Spain | SunMatrix Ramble

Here are two mobile apps that recently caught my eye…

Audi Start-Stop App

The Audi start-stop system turns off the engine when the car stops at a traffic light and turns it on again when the car starts. Using the same principle, Audi along with DDB Spain creates an Android app that detects which applications have been open longest without being used and sends an alert to the user to close them. Thus saving battery and making the phone a more efficient tool.

Reborn Apps

Many events create their own smartphone apps. But when the event is over, the apps lose their usefulness and are then hardly used. To give these apps a second life, Duval Guillaume gets various Belgium organisations to push out an update which turns their event apps into a registration medium for organ donation.

In European mobile marketing, the strongest brand apps behave like practical utilities first and brand messages second.

The real question is whether your app earns its place by doing one useful thing so well that people choose it again tomorrow.

Brand apps should be judged on repeat usefulness, not on campaign polish.

Why these app ideas work

Both concepts start with a familiar trigger and then make the next best action nearly frictionless, which is why the prompt feels helpful instead of noisy.

Extractable takeaway: Both apps translate a familiar real-world idea into a simple mobile behavior change. One nudges you to close what you are not using. The other repurposes what you already have installed.

They solve a real friction. Battery drain and app clutter are everyday pains. Low donor registration is a societal pain.
They use a clear trigger. “Unused for long” becomes the reason to act. “Event is over” becomes the reason to update.
They keep the action lightweight. A close action or a signup action can happen in seconds.

Two different intents, one shared pattern

The Audi app is a utility story. It borrows a car feature metaphor to make an Android housekeeping task feel purposeful. The Reborn idea is a “mobile for good” story. By “mobile for good,” I mean using everyday mobile touchpoints to drive a public-interest action, not just brand engagement. It turns leftover event attention into a meaningful registration moment, without asking people to download something new.

Patterns to borrow for brand apps

Start from a known behavior. People already ignore background apps. People already keep old event apps installed.
Make the trigger obvious. If users cannot explain why the app pinged them, they ignore it next time.
Design for the next best action. One tap to close. One short flow to register.
Let the brand sit behind the benefit. If the utility feels real, the brand halo follows naturally.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Audi Start-Stop App?

It is an Android utility idea that identifies apps left open for a long time without being used and alerts you to close them, borrowing the metaphor of Audi’s start-stop engine system.

What problem does it try to solve?

It targets battery and resource drain caused by apps that stay running in the background after you stop actively using them.

What are Reborn Apps?

It is an idea that asks event app publishers to push an update after the event ends, transforming those unused apps into a simple organ donation registration tool.

Why is the “update instead of download” approach smart?

It removes acquisition friction. The app is already on the phone, so the campaign can focus on conversion rather than installs.

What is the common lesson across both examples?

Make the desired behavior the easiest behavior. Use a clear trigger, keep the action simple, and let usefulness do the persuasion.

Volkswagen Polo is one of the most desired cars amongst the youth of Spain. To make a big entry DDB Spain created a Tweet based race that would make VW Polo the most trending topic on Twitter for that day.

A special hashtag #Polowers was created in order to give a name to the VW Polo Followers. Then to generate conversation amongst the Polowers a race was setup where each tweet took the follower to the first position. In this context, a tweet-based race means every tweet with the #Polowers hashtag updates a live leaderboard.

The real question is: how do you turn a low-effort social action into sustained participation during a short launch window?

This is a smart mechanic because it turns public rank into the content people return to influence.

When the Polo stopped at one of the 5 designated stops, the follower in the first position at that time would win a prize, iPad, Denon Ceol music system, Leica D-Lux 5 camera, VW Bike and eventually the grand prize VW Polo itself.

In terms of results, the campaign generated more than 150,000 tweets in 8 hours after launching, at a rate of 5 tweets per second and reached more than 10% of Twitter’s total audience in Spain. It also became the leading Top 10 trending topic and generated a record breaking amount of traffic to Polo’s product section on Volkswagen.es.

Last year Mercedes-Benz had created a tweet based race that had real life cars fueled by tweets. Check out that campaign here.

Why this mechanic works

This is a clean real-time loop. Tweeting is the action. Rank is the feedback. Prizes are the incentive. The “race” gives people a reason to keep going, because every new tweet can change the leader. Because rank shifts are immediate and visible, people keep tweeting to defend or steal the top spot.

Extractable takeaway: If you make the user action measurable and publicly visible in real time, participation grows because people can see their impact instantly.

Identity creates belonging. #Polowers turns followers into a named group.
Progress is instant. One tweet changes position immediately.
Time pressure drives volume. Five stops create multiple “now” moments.
Reward cadence sustains momentum. Smaller prizes build toward the grand prize.

In European launch campaigns that need fast, time-boxed social momentum, a live leaderboard loop like this helps convert attention into repeat action inside a single mechanic.

What to take from this if you run social campaigns

Design a loop that explains itself. If the rule fits in one sentence, participation scales.
Make the scoreboard the content. Rankings create a story people want to influence.
Use milestones. Stops and deadlines create peaks instead of a flat timeline.
Measure beyond buzz. Here the campaign also drove traffic to the Polo product section, not just tweets.

A few fast answers before you act

What was Volkswagen #Polowers?

It was a tweet-based race in Spain where participants used the #Polowers hashtag, and tweeting moved them into first position in a live competition for prizes and a chance to win a VW Polo.

How did the prize mechanic work?

When the Polo stopped at one of five designated stops, the follower in first position at that moment won a prize. The grand prize was a VW Polo.

What were the reported results?

More than 150,000 tweets in 8 hours, around 5 tweets per second, reaching more than 10% of Twitter’s total audience in Spain, plus Top 10 trending status and record traffic to Volkswagen.es Polo pages.

Why did the hashtag matter?

#Polowers gave the community a name and made participation visible, searchable, and easy to join.

What is the transferable lesson?

If you turn a simple action into a live competition with clear milestones and meaningful rewards, social participation can compound quickly.