Two car companies just launched conversational 2.0 marketing initiatives online. VW took their marketing promise and creating an online user-defined polling site What People Want on VW.com. BMW borrowed from Dell's successful use of the Facebook Graffiti tool in launching the What Drives You contest for the recent 1 Series launch.

Like the Dell ReGeneration campaign, BMW does not waste time investing in the creation of a perfect Facebook widget, but instead licenses the already popular Graffiti tool.  BMW also makes it easy by creating a coloring book experience, giving the outlines of the 1 series as a basis for the Graffiti contest. To date, BMW has already received 8,000 + submissions, and this may be the second in a series of light collaborations between a brand and a creative audience. 

VW's challenge to actualize its "What People Want" brand promise may prove trickier. The polling tool available on VW.com is truly user-generated, and users do not necessarily want to discuss car-related issues. For example, demanding labels for genetically modified food and asking the candidates to address economic issues were both popular polls. This 2.0 style marketing tactic quickly points out that VW's promise of delivering "What People Want" is limited by the fact that they are a car company, and not a political candidate. VW does get points for some terms and conditions humor. Upon submitting  a poll question, the site explains for the potential delay in seeing an instant post online, "We'll post it just as quickly as we can-provided, of course, our legal department hasn't already left on their trust-building business retreat."

BY JEN

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