EMA winners: Best Launch

GOLD winner Volkswagen Touareg China Launch - Mission Touareg
Brand Volkswagen
Agency SMS Group/Noitom

Volkswagen was approaching a major milestone in China with the release of the all new Touareg, the brand’s flagship SUV. Picking up on the communication theme ‘First Never Stop’, SMS Group partnered with Noitom to develop a fantastical and whimsical storytelling experience that would see guests become participants in an adventure as space explorers on a mission to find and pick up the all new Touareg in the ‘Next-Level Galaxy’.

4,000 participants were treated to a show that produced a make-belief exploration that took a group of explorers to 'space' in an immersive experience akin to a Disneyland-ride, culminating in the car’s reveal. On top of that, the agency conceived the idea of a test drive that allowed guests to ride the car in a ‘distant galaxy’ via a custom-developed real-time VR system onboard. Accelerated by pre-communication, over 100 million viewers around the world followed the pan-galactic event that generated millions in PR value for the brand.