Across the world government rebates for buying electric vehicles were coming to an end. Plus with the new, New Zealand Government about to do the same, Volkswagen needed to sell at least double the amount of EVs a month than they had been or they'd be left stuck with an excess of now more expensive EVs and they had a short time to do it.

All car dealers were in the same position and everyone was responding in the same way - the rebate plus a discount on top and Volkswagen needed to stand out. So we created the VW Electric Trade-in, a direct campaign that put a spin on the traditional vehicle trade-in. Where customers could bring in any electrical item and get a discount on an electric vehicle. Suddenly a rusty kettle got people $14,000 off a new EV, a deal that sounded too good to be true.

We took the typical car trade-in concept and gave it a creative spin with the Volkswagen Electric Trade-in. An offer, where instead of trading in your old car you got to bring in any electrical item and swap it for $14,000 off a brand new electric VW. All of a sudden a broken old heater or that never used juicer was worth $14,000 - a concept that grabbed the interest of everyone because they couldn’t quite believe it was true, an idea that cut through a cluttered market where in actuality everyone was offering the same thing.

The electric vehicle rebate had been in market for months, the extra discount on top was being offered by multiple car dealerships and was also already in market. And data told us the early-adopter market of electric vehicles was over. The imminent change in government and the proposed withdrawal of the EV rebate made the timeframe in which dealers had to sell their vehicles short.

Strategically we were targeting people who were interested in a new car, particularly EVs but we also had to stand-out in an already cluttered market within a short time frame.

We created an offer that made it appear we were giving a bigger more enticing discount than our competitors; the Volkswagen Electric Trade-In – a trade that invited people to give us any old electric item for $14,000 off a new EV.

Consumers were able to take any old electrical item and bring it into a Volkswagen dealership in exchange for $14,000 off a brand new VW ID.

Billboards - multiple placements across NZ - 6th Oct - 24th Dec

Posters - multiple placements across NZ - 6th Oct - 24th Dec

Print - multiple placements - 6th Oct - 24th Dec

Consumer goods trade site - 1st Oct - 26th Nov

Radio- 8th - 24th Dec

POS - dealerships across NZ - 6th Oct - 24th Dec

Social - multiple placements - 6th Oct - 24th Dec

The campaign resulted in a 468% increase in Volkswagen electric ID sales.

Brand perception increased with Volkswagen electric vehicle sales outperforming the rest of the category by 370%