Volkswagen Facebook Flipbook

You open a Facebook photo gallery called Amarok FlipDrive, click the first image, and keep the right arrow button pressed. The photos flip fast enough to feel like a running movie. A flipbook, built out of a Facebook album.

The reference point. A “commercial” powered by a Twitter feed

In April, Mercedes Smart in Argentina created the first of its kind Tweet Commercial using its Twitter stream. Now Volkswagen Amarok in Turkey has created the Facebook alternative.

The idea. An all-terrain truck that can even “drive” on Facebook

The Volkswagen Amarok is positioned as an ultimate all terrain vehicle. It can go everywhere. From the city to sand to water. With some creativity from McCann Erickson Istanbul, it can even go on Facebook.

How it works. 201 images in sequence

201 images that follow each other in sequence are uploaded to the Amarok FlipDrive Facebook photo gallery. Opening the first photo and keeping the right arrow button pressed makes the photos flip by fast and gives the effect of a running movie.

The reality check. Caching changes the experience

The flipbook experience is very jerky the first time, but once all the photos are cached, it plays as seen in the video below.


A few fast answers before you act

What is the Volkswagen Facebook Flipbook?
A Facebook photo gallery that behaves like a flipbook animation when you hold the right arrow key to move quickly through sequential images.

How many images are used?
201 images, uploaded in sequence.

What do you actually do as a user?
Open the first photo in the album and keep the right arrow button pressed to “play” the sequence.

Why does it feel jerky at first?
Because the images are not yet cached. Once cached, playback becomes smoother.

What is the broader pattern?
Using native platform mechanics. Streams, galleries, navigation keys. As the “media” layer for a social commercial.

The tweet commercial

Argentina continues to set the standard in creative Twitter campaigns! In this latest campaign, when you visit the Smart Car’s official Twitter account you will think some kid got in there and had his way with the keyboard. Well in reality, its their social media team that has been hard at work to come up with various ASCII art tweets. This has led them to create the worlds first twitter based animated tweet commercial!

Visit the smart Argentina twitter account and hold down the ‘J’ button on your keyboard to see what happens. Alternatively see it on video below…