At its core, the intention of this technology was equal parts product demonstration, brand impression and fun. The objective was to reinvent the test drive in a new and unexpected way, while showcasing Audi innovation and craftsmanship. Creating the world’s first iPad enabled slot car controller was a key aspect in the larger narrative employed in the fulfillment of that goal.

As a brand that positions itself as constantly pushing the boundaries of automotive technology, it would not have served the campaign very well for us to stop short in that context. So while a handcrafted slot car installation might have been enough for another brand to showcase their vehicles’ all wheel drive technology, it would have only been a half measure for Audi. Inventing the technology to put driver’s directly behind the wheel of that slot car was the other half.

To make it happen required integration of several existing hardware solutions – including Arduino switches, H-Bridges, micro-controllers, reed switches and custom miniature IP cameras and with Wifi module and battery pack – with a fully customized code base. Three servers were employed in the installation: 1. The Control Server acted as central brain controlling the race, coordinate with the iPads, hardware controllers and other servers. 2. The Field Display Server to shuttle field camera footage, leader board and race results to the on site big screen. 3. Video Server to record races, encode video and upload to YouTube for sharing.

As this technology was developed specifically for the purposes of the campaign event, no scope for further long-term development was ever developed.

That said, over the 2-week experiential event we generated over 800,000 impressions and 3,932 drivers ‘got behind the wheel’ of the drive-by-iPad installation, representing a 4,525% increase over the average number of test drives handled by top dealers over same period.

Coverage appeared on Fast Company, Mashable, Techcrunch, Engadget, Devour, PSFK, and Road & Track among others.

Since launch, documentary views total 185,000 resulting in 2,775,000 minutes worth of time spent with the brand. Estimated earned media impressions total 4,671,156.

In the 4 weeks following launch, the campaign contributed to a 209% increase in Facebook fans and most importantly, a 30% increase in sales for Sept-Dec 2012 vs. 2011.