Audi delivers R8 V10 to originator of #wantanR8 hashtag

If anyone doubts the power of social media in marketing, they should take a lesson from Audi who have just given the originator of the Twitter hastag #wantanR8 an R8 for the day.

The Marketing world is changing fast, with online reporting and social media fast relegating traditional print media to the dustbin of history. And if you want a lesson on how to make social media work in the car world, you could do a lot worse than look at Audi’s recent efforts.

Audi started using hashtags (that’s a little phrase preceded by the hashtag and used on Twitter) in its adverts for the Superbowl last year, which is a good way to get topics trending on the Twitter social media hub.

And it caught on, with one Twitter user coming up with the hashtag #wantanR8, which seemed to resonate with not just Twitter users, but with Audi too.

Not just resonate with Audi, but spur them in to action too.

Twitter user Joanne McCoy (@jmdc88 – can you guess her age?) got the surprise of her life when Audi’s R8 product manager – Mark Fruechtnicht – turned up on her drive with a nice shiny Audi R8 V10, handing her the keys for the day as a thank-you for giving Audi lots of Twitter love.

It’s a gesture which will have cost Audi very little in money terms, but will doubtless get them lots of free coverage (like this) and the sort of publicity money just can’t buy.

And with plans to divvy up more free cars for the day to useful Tweeters (at least in the US – we don’t think Audi UK are as on the ball with social media – but correct us if we’re wrong) you can guarantee lots more Twitter love for Audi on the horizon.

The world is changing.

Audi delivers R8 V10 to originator of #wantanR8 hashtag Video