interactive advertising 2 | SunMatrix Ramble

VW GTI Banner Race: Chase a Car Across the Web

Volkswagen Netherlands set out to launch the new GTI in a way that feels fast before anyone even touches the accelerator. The result is an online race staged inside banner advertising, but mapped onto the physical logic of the real world.

Four popular Dutch websites are painted as the runway of an airport, each banner space measuring 20 metres wide and 25 metres long. On race day, 13th September, participants chase the GTI as it speeds through the banner spaces of each site. The person fast enough to catch the new GTI wins the car in real life.

When banners stop being static and start behaving like space

The mechanism is a reframing of banner advertising. Instead of isolated rectangles, the banners become connected terrain. Each site represents a segment of runway. Movement between banners creates the illusion of distance, speed, and progression.

The GTI does not just appear. It moves. And because it moves, the user has a reason to stay alert, react quickly, and treat the banner as something to engage with rather than ignore.

In digital launch campaigns, turning passive media into an environment with rules is often the fastest way to earn attention without buying more impressions.

Why speed and scarcity do the heavy lifting

This works because it borrows from racing psychology. There is a single target. There is a clear win condition. And there is scarcity. Only one person catches the GTI. That tension transforms passive browsing into a moment of competition.

The prize is not symbolic. Winning the actual car anchors the experience in reality, which prevents the activation from feeling like a disposable digital trick.

The intent: make the GTI feel alive online

The business intent is to translate the GTI’s performance DNA into a digital format. Speed, responsiveness, and thrill are not explained. They are simulated. The banner becomes a proxy for the car’s character.

At the same time, Volkswagen demonstrates that standard media formats can still surprise when they are treated as systems instead of slots.

How it was built behind the scenes

The making-of video shows how the different banner environments were aligned, timed, and stitched together to behave like a single runway across multiple sites.

What to steal from the GTI banner race

Rethink familiar formats. Banners can be environments, not just placements.
Design for motion. Movement creates attention where static assets fail.
Use a real reward. Tangible stakes raise commitment instantly.
Connect experiences. Linking multiple sites turns reach into narrative space.
Encode the product DNA. Let the interaction mirror what the product stands for.

A few fast answers before you act

What makes this GTI launch different from a normal banner campaign?

The banners are connected into a continuous race environment, turning advertising space into gameplay instead of static exposure.

Why use an online race to launch a car?

Because racing instantly communicates speed and performance, which are core to the GTI identity.

Does this work without the prize car?

The experience would still be novel, but the real-world reward dramatically increases urgency and participation.

What role do partner websites play?

They become part of the environment. Each site is a segment of the runway rather than just a host for an ad.

What is the main takeaway for digital launches?

When you turn media formats into systems with rules and progression, people stop skipping and start playing.

Jameson Irish Whiskey: Blippar Space Invaders

Outdoor ads that turn into a game

Jameson Irish Whiskey recently launched a huge outdoor campaign, teaming up with augmented reality specialist Blippar for image recognition technology.

People with the Blippar app could scan any Jameson Irish Whiskey ad or bottle and immediately get immersed in a Jameson Irish Whiskey version of Space Invaders.

How the Blippar scan-to-play mechanic worked

The mechanism was straightforward. A phone camera scan triggered Blippar’s image recognition. That recognition launched an interactive AR experience on the device.

In practice, the physical media became the “portal”. The ad or bottle was the entry point. The phone was the display and controller. The game was the reward.

Why it landed, and where the interaction could be smoother

The win is immediacy. Scan and you are inside the brand world without a long setup. That kind of instant payoff makes an outdoor poster feel alive rather than static.

After playing the game myself, I found it would have been a better experience if they had allowed viewer control through tilting the phone around, instead of non stop tapping at the screen. However, it is still good to see more brands innovating like this.

What the brand was really buying

This was not just about novelty. It was about extending an outdoor campaign into a personal, interactive moment that people could not get from a standard print execution.

The intent was clear. Increase attention time. Add talk value. Create a reason to engage with the bottle and the ads beyond the first glance.

What to steal for your next AR activation

Make the entry point universal. “Scan any ad or bottle” reduces friction and increases participation.
Reward immediately. If the scan does not pay off fast, the experience loses the environment it depends on.
Design the controls for comfort. Favor natural motion and simple gestures over repetitive tapping when sessions run longer than a few seconds.
Use AR to earn time, not impressions. The value is the extra seconds of focused attention, not the novelty headline.

If you would like to give it a try, download the Blippar app on your smartphone and scan the below bottle to start playing.

A few fast answers before you act

What was Jameson doing with Blippar?

They used Blippar’s image recognition so people could scan Jameson ads or bottles and launch an interactive AR game experience on a smartphone.

What was the core mechanic?

Scan the physical creative with the Blippar app. The scan triggers recognition. The phone immediately launches the game.

Why does scan-to-play work well for outdoor advertising?

It turns a passive glance into an active moment. The ad becomes a portal to content that holds attention longer than print.

What interaction improvement could make this smoother?

More natural viewer control, such as tilting the phone, can reduce fatigue compared to continuous tapping during gameplay.

What is the main takeaway for brands?

Use AR to earn time and engagement by delivering an immediate reward, and make the control scheme comfortable enough to sustain play.

VW Street Quest: Street View Becomes a Chase

Since 1951, South Africans have loved Volkswagen. In fact, you will probably find one on every street, road, highway and byway in the country. So Volkswagen, along with Ogilvy Cape Town, created an advergame that not only celebrated the impact Volkswagen has had on South African streets, but also kickstarted Volkswagen South Africa’s Facebook Page.

“Volkswagen Street Quest” is a Facebook challenge to find as many Volkswagens as possible on South African streets using Google Street View, wrapped in a custom-designed gaming interface.

When the map becomes the game board

The mechanism is a clever remix of a familiar tool. Google Street View already invites exploration. Street Quest turns that exploration into a scavenger hunt with a score. Players “pin” Volkswagens they spot. The more pins you collect, the higher you climb.

It is not a passive brand experience. It is active search, pattern recognition, and a dopamine loop. Find. Pin. Move on. Find again.

In social activation design, the most durable engagement comes from a simple repeatable loop that turns a brand claim into something people can verify themselves.

Why it lands: pride, competition, and proof

This works because the premise is culturally believable. Volkswagen is positioned as a constant on South African streets. The game invites people to prove it to themselves, and to others, one find at a time. The campaign turns brand ubiquity into a participatory claim.

Competition does the rest. The campaign ran for over four weeks, and the players with the most pins each week qualified for a real-life Street Quest challenge. Digital play becomes a gateway to a physical reward, which raises commitment and keeps the hunt from burning out after day one.

The intent: build a Facebook audience without begging for likes

The business intent is straightforward. Volkswagen South Africa wanted to kickstart its Facebook Page. Street Quest is an acquisition mechanic disguised as entertainment. Instead of asking people to “join the community,” it gives them something to do that naturally keeps them connected to the page over time.

That matters because community building is not about a single click. It is about repeat behaviour. A four-week structure creates that repetition.

What to steal from Volkswagen Street Quest

Use an existing behaviour. People already explore maps and Street View. Turn that into a structured challenge.
Make the brand claim playable. If you say “we are everywhere,” give people a way to verify it themselves.
Stretch the campaign over time. Weekly qualification builds a habit loop and keeps energy up.
Bridge digital to physical. Real-world challenges add stakes and legitimacy.
Lead with fun, not with follow. Audience growth becomes a byproduct of participation.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Volkswagen Street Quest?

It is a Facebook advergame where players use Google Street View inside a custom interface to find and pin Volkswagens across South African streets.

Why use Google Street View for an advergame?

Because it provides an endless, realistic game environment that feels authentic, and it leverages a behaviour people already understand: exploring streets on a map.

How did the campaign sustain interest for four weeks?

By running weekly rounds where top performers qualified for a real-life Street Quest challenge, keeping competition and motivation high.

What was the main business goal behind the game?

To kickstart Volkswagen South Africa’s Facebook Page by attracting participation and repeat visits without relying on generic “like us” messaging.

What is the key takeaway for social activations?

Build a game loop that makes the brand premise tangible, then structure it over time so people return and bring others with them.