China is the world’s hottest automobile market. New cars launch every week, to the same people, the same way and young affluent buyers had disengaged. For the Porsche Macan launch, it was clear that we needed to reawaken them. Instead of letting them choose to ignore us, we invited them to #ChooseThrilling. We put 400 guests at the centre of the experience. We thrilled them through a continuous storyline and gave them the power to shape their own experience. The result? The experience garnered over 33 million views and 5 million instant engagements. Most importantly, disengaged buyers chose to change.

Instead of letting consumers chose to ignore us, we invited them to “Choose Thrilling”. The key message was simple: ‘Thrilling’ is a choice you make. To bring this message to life, we took guests on a journey to #ChooseThrilling by experiencing thrills in the city, the mountainous terrains and on the race tracks. We put influencers and press in the center of a live set, surrounded by actors. Guests had no prior knowledge of what the immersive experience entailed, so at every opportunity we delivered fresh excitement and surprise through huge experiential zones. We needed to create an experience that was not only engaging, but also personalized, so that every individual guest’s experience is different. For one night, guests were the Thrillseekers as they freely explored the spaces and interacted with performers, dancing, and cheering as they uncovered the story layer by layer.

Young affluent consumers are bombarded with conventional car launches and are getting tired. They’re curious, hungry and constantly looking for experiences that stimulate their senses. They are chasing after thrills, excitement and adventure. And they want to share their experiences live online.

The New Macan is the embodiment of thrill and adventure, showcased through its designs and features. To communicate this effectively, we needed to stay away from traditional car launches where guests are fed with endless videos and CEO speeches. While launches generally focus on the car, we flipped this idea around and put our guests at the centre of it all. The entire launch was designed from the guests’ point of view, taking into consideration their emotions and senses throughout the journey. We created an experience where guests were the stars of the evening and share the experience in the first person in real time with their followers.

On November 10th, we created China’s largest immersive car launch with over 400 guests in a 5,000 sqm abandoned factory in the outskirts of Shenzhen where guests experienced the New Porsche Macan in their own unique way. Guests encountered their first mission– to choose thrilling and walk through a path guided by blinking construction lights into the world of Macan. Then, they were met with complete darkness as the evening began with a powerful performance: parkour artists, dancers and acrobats performed on cement pillars above and around the guests. The experience included four zones, each designed to showcase the spirit, history and power of the Macan. Throughout the journey, guests were invited to be the center of the action, engaging with the performers. Some even stole the limelight and performed with the actors. Guests were encouraged to take selfies, stream the event online, and to connect with the Macan spirit.

The event became the talk of the town. Within 72 hours, the event was viewed 33.2 million times online with 5.51 million engagements. Porsche’s channels also saw 423,000 WeChat and Weibo views with 14,000 engagements. Media coverage reached an all-time high with media partners saying:

• “A Thrilling and Unforgettable Experience”- Sohu.com

• “An Unconventional Launch and Unexpected Thrilling Experience That Fits Perfect with The New Porsche Macan” - toutiao.com

• “Unexpected Thrilling Launch, Very Different From Other Brands” - Netease News

“The Macan Launch was a game changer. The event was the most innovative, immersive and thrilling event we’ve ever staged in the history of Porsche China. Months after the launch, we still hear from management, colleagues, dealers and consumers how amazing the event was and how thrilling the experiences were,” said Stephan Galla, Senior Manager Events at Porsche China.