Drum OMG: Establishing the Porsche brand with a new generation of drivers using Carpool karaoke

Among Porsche fanatics, the brand has no equal. To these drivers, Porsche sports cars are the pinnacle of a high-performance driving experience, with a design that is beautiful and timeless. But among younger affluent audiences, the legendary Porsche brand is not as well known. The launch of the new 2018 Porsche Cayenne, one of the most affordable vehicles in the portfolio, was the perfect opportunity to convince a new generation of drivers that Porsche is the very definition of a sports car.

As the luxury SUV in the Porsche portfolio, the Cayenne provides the exhilaration of a sports car in a vehicle that seats five passengers. At the core of the launch campaign was the idea that the thrill of driving a sports car is even better when shared with friends and family. To launch the campaign, we looked for a way to demonstrate the visceral thrill of driving the Cayenne, and the joy of sharing that experience with other passengers.

Our core markets were the UK and US, so a plan was hatched to integrate the new Porsche Cayenne in James Corden’s wildly popular Carpool Karaoke segment from one of the biggest US talk shows in the UK, The CBS Late Late Show. The format of the segment, in which James drives and sings with celebrity musicians, was perfectly suited to celebrating the joy of driving together with a friend. And CBS late night properties deliver the most upscale audiences of any CBS daypart, and dominate the competition in delivering affluent young adults. Tens of millions of viewers had watched earlier episodes, featuring the likes of Adele, Bruno Mars, and Justin Bieber. The integration was truly innovative as a category and brand first. Only one other advertiser, and no other car company, had ever been integrated into the segment.

The Challenge

To launch the new 2018 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Porsche briefed us to bring to life the joy of shared driving experiences and appeal to a new young affluent audience. We knew to capture the hearts and minds of this audience we needed to tap into the popular culture they love. So, we integrated the Cayenne into the hugely popular driving format, James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, on the Late Late Show.

We brought Porsche fan and Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine to the party and together James and Adam drove the Cayenne around LA and onto the race track at the Porsche Experience Centre, with hilarious results. The final episode and supporting content exceeded all expectations, with a segment that naturally integrated the Cayenne while also cementing the idea that Porsche is synonymous with exhilarating driving performance.

Campaign objectives

Convince a young, affluent audience that, with the Porsche Cayenne, the thrill of driving a sports car can be shared with friends and family

Launch the new Cayenne Turbo 2018 - the most “sharable” Porsche driving experience

The campaign

At the core of the launch campaign was the idea that the thrill of driving a sports car is even better when shared with friends and family. To launch the campaign, we looked for a way to demonstrate the visceral thrill of driving the Cayenne, and the joy of sharing that experience with other passengers.

In order to appeal to a new younger audience in the UK and US, we started with what the audience were consuming, knowing we needed to tap into popular culture and place Porsche at the very center of that conversation.

While CBS was initially reluctant to consider an integration in this exclusive property, they warmed up to the idea when we brokered an agreement with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, a devoted Porsche owner and lover of fast cars.

The script called for James to drive with Adam in the new 2018 Cayenne through the streets of Los Angeles while singing classic Maroon 5 songs, karaoke-style. Then, they would take a detour to the Porsche Experience Centre in Los Angeles for some hot laps around the track in order to showcase the unique experiences you can have with Porsche. We also negotiated the integration of a second vehicle into the segment and filmed some supporting content – a sneak peak of the soon-to-be released Porsche electric vehicle, the Mission E.

Our team worked side-by-side with CBS producers at every stage of the process, from talent negotiation, script writing to filming and post production, all the time ensuring the integration felt as seamless as possible.

The final result exceeded all expectations, with a segment that naturally integrated the Cayenne while also cementing the idea that Porsche is synonymous with exhilarating driving performance.

The Cayenne was featured in every single scene of the 11-minute video during which the Porsche brand or marque was shown more than 38 times. The culmination of the segment was a race between Adam and James, who traded off in driving the Cayenne around the Porsche test track, with a few hazards and challenges along the way!

Co-branded Porsche and CBS ads ran in social media before and after the airing, featuring photos, gifs and videos that highlighted the fun driving scenes.

The Results

Carpool Karaoke had the cultural firepower we needed to establish the Porsche brand with a new generation of drivers.