Thoughts on recent digital work for automotive brands

I was searching for interesting presentations or videos about work by digital agencies for automotive clients in the last year or so, and I couldn’t find any. Maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong places (if so, I’d be grateful if you could point me in the right direction), but it got me thinking – was Fiat Eco:Drive, which was launched in 2008, really the last exciting thing that happened in that field?

Activate the Future is a documentary that explores the question of what mobility will look like in the future. It consists of a series of interviews with academics and entrepreneurs such as Naveen Selvadurai, Marissa Mayer, Buzz Aldrin and Chris Anderson over the future of technology and transportation. Here’s the trailer:

If you’re in any way digital in your habits, it definitely motivates you to explore further, which is one objective achieved. But my next question would be, surely there must be an innovation you’re launching, which this documentary is supposed to reference? The answer is yes, they’ve built the EV dashboard which shows you the impact of electric vehicles on your wallet and the environment. They also have an iPhone app which can be connected to the dashboard, where you can log your commutes and (surprise, surprise) earn badges. Forget the badgification though – the over-arching premise, ostensibly, is that it is a way for BMW to track how people use their vehicles and thus inform their research into the next generation of cars.

The problem? How much of an innovation from Fiat Eco: Drive is it really? They’re both apps, though BMW’s EV app is an iPhone app (an instrument which wasn’t as popular at the time Fiat Eco: Drive was built), compared to Eco: Drive’s desktop app. BMW's would have almost had to be an iPhone app, actually.

In the electric vehicle arena, there's also the Nissan Leaf, though there hasn't been any interesting digital marketing on their behalf. This OOH billboard doesn't count - in any case, it is the victim of  sloppy execution - the exhaust fumes actually waft across to the Leaf's side of the display!

At least BMW's work is better than Range Rover’s Evoque campaign. A couple of weeks ago, they launched their new car, the Evoque, with a programme called City Shapers – urban brand ambassadors who are drawn from industries as varied as fashion, sports, trends and journalism.

Meanwhile, I'm back to searching for any useful recent presentations in this area...