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.
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.
- 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.
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.