The launch of the 2020 Corvette Stingray was a global event. The first mid-engine Corvette in history, it packed a 495-horsepower punch — hitting 0-60 in 2.9 seconds and a top track speed of 194 MPH.

The reviews were glowing with the New York Times auto critic reporting that “this new model combined moonshot acceleration, handling, tech and versatility like no rival remotely near its price.”

Corvette fans and performance enthusiasts were hungry to experience this exciting new Stingray. But, with the onset of COVID-19 those plans were brought to a screeching halt. Our challenge was to enable people to experience the exhilaration of getting behind the wheel of the new Corvette virtually.

We utilized exciting footage from behind the wheel of the Corvette taking on one of the world’s most renowned tracks and transformed it into an immersive experience. In the familiar style of popular racing games of the 80s and 90s, we designed a game that challenged viewers to complete a lap. Using POV footage and sound from “The Ring” in Nürburgring, Germany we did just that.

According to Nielsen, more than 55% of people picked up video games during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns. With millions quarantined at home and looking for ways to pass the time and stay entertained, we came up with a first-of-its-kind way to gamify Instagram Stories on the @Corvette channel. To maximize exposure, we released “Race the Ring” on National Video Game Day.

Because Instagram Stories offer limited interactivity, we used animated “turn ahead” icons to alert the viewer and taps to initiate the turn, similar to the gameplay of Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution. When a player missed a turn, they received a “missed it” animation that prompted them to “tap back” to try again. The game was intentionally made challenging to spark the competitive spirit of gamers and keep them playing until they finished a lap.

Race the Ring garnered impressive results without support of paid media. Launched from @Corvette’s Instagram channel, the Instagram Story kept Corvette fans tapping back for more. Even though the game was designed to be challenging, the 17 chapters that comprised the Nürburgring lap had a 15% tap back rate — more than double Corvette Instagram norms.

Some chapters had a tap back rate as high as 287% above average — proving that even when stuck at home, a new generation of fans were eager to interact with the next generation of the Corvette Stingray.