Ford New Zealand Creates Hot Sauce to Promote Limited Edition Fiesta ST

Ford ST Hot Sauce

The new limited edition Fiesta ST may be a hot looking car all by itself, but Ford’s New Zealand ad agency JWT decided to take things up a notch. The agency recruited chili sauce maker Chris Cullen of Cullys to create a special chill sauce containing the hottest chilies grown in New Zealand.

The sauce was created using the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper, which clocks in at a tongue-melting 1.463 million on the Scoville scale, the measurement of spicy-heat created by American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville in 1912. By comparison the Habenero earns a rating of only 300,000 SHU.

A limited number of 3,000 bottles of the ST Hot Sauce bottles were produced, with 1500 finding their way onto tables at trendy Mexican restaurants and burger joints around Auckland. Others were sent to potential customers, while others were given away on the Ford New Zealand’s Facebook page.

[via Campaign Brief]

New Zealand

How Quick Can You Click? Volkswagen Races Into Your Web Banner

Volkswagen GTi Bannenbahn

Banner Blindness is the name given to explain one of the reasons that internet users ignore banner ads. In fact Doubleclick has reported that the average click through rate for banner ads in the U.S. is a measly 0.11%.

However, this Friday (Sept 13) ad agency ACHTUNG! and Volkswagen will have internet users in the Netherlands paying extra attention to the banner ads on 4 of the country’s most popular web sites, including nu.nl, telegraaf.nl, autoweek.nl, and geenstijl.nl.

The agency will bring the banners to life with a live video feed from a local airport runway where 20 x 25 metre versions of the web pages have been reproduced. On Friday from noon to 4pm (Netherlands time) a stunt driver will pilot a Volkswagen GTi around the runway, speeding and sliding across the reproductions of the web page and through the banner ads. Internet users with quick reflexes have to click on the car when it appears. At the end of the day, the user with the quickest reflexes wins the car in real life.

While only people in the Netherlands can win the car, everyone can test their reflexes at gtibannerbahn.nl.

The Making of Bannerbahn

[via http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/volkswagen-bannerbahn-live-banner-challenge/]

Netherlands

GE Partners with Uber For Free Rides in a Deloreon Time Machine

Uber GE Deloreon

According to the DeLorean Owners Association, 8,583 DeLoreans were manufactured at the factory in Northern Ireland during the years 1981, 1982, and 1983.

When the company was forced into bankruptcy in 1982, the unique looking car with the stainless steel body looked like it was on its way to being another footnote in automobile history. That was until director Robert Zemeckis chose the car to play the part of the Time Machine in the 1985’s Back to the Future, and the two subsequent sequels.

As part of GE’s ongoing Brilliant machine campaign, the company partnered with on-demand car service Uber for free 15-minute rides around San Fransisco-area this weekend in one-of-four time-machine outfitted Deloreon. To access a free ride, Uber-users had to watch for the option to pop-up on the mobile app.

The rides were limited to 15 minutes and time-travel was not included.

[via The Verge] [photo by Maille Krause/Twitter]

USA

Interactive Signage at UK Airports Lets You Rev-Up New Range Rover Engine

Range Rover - Interactive Signage

Passengers heading to their flights at Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted Airports were able to stop for a minute and experience the sound of the new Range Rover Sport, thanks to an interactive OOH campaign created by RKCR/Y&R.

An accelerator pedal was added to the display, that when pressed brought the sound of the Range Rover’s new 5.0 litre supercharged engine to life. The display used directional sound so that only the person pushing the accelerator pedal would hear the sounds of the revving engine.

Production was handled by Grand Visual with Curb Media providing the audio technology.

[via The Drum]

UK

Interactive 3D Model of Audi R8 Constructed from Fan Comments

Audi - #OneMillionReasons

Audi Germany have launched an interactive web experience that takes the positive sentiments posted about the brand on social media using the hashtags #onemillionreasons. The comments are presented as a single particle in an interactive 3D model of the Audi R8.

Audi will select eight fans to attend the IAA 2013 in Frankfurt and enjoy a 2 hour escorted R8 fan ride.

Audi fans can search, find and share their contributions through their social media channels or save the 3D model as wallpaper.

The project was created by agency Razorfish and creative production company Minivegas.

[via The Drum]

Germany

Audi invites eight selected fans to visit us at the IAA 2013 in Frankfurt. Take a look behind the scenes at the world’s largest car show and learn new Audi
already know before anyone else.

But then you have the the Frankfurt skyline behind him quickly: At the wheel of an Audi R8, you experience dynamic and agile pure performance.

They also tell us what you like about Audi and with a little luck we may welcome you soon as a pilot Audi R8 in Frankfurt.

Honda Promotes Mobile App With Tribute to Aryton Senna Using Just Data, Sound and Light

Sound of Honda - Aryton Senna 1989

Sound by Honda is a mobile app created by internavi lab as part of Honda’s Dots (Design Our Transportation Story), a two way information and communications service. the app leverages the smartphones GPS and accelerometer allowing a user to experience the sound of several Honda cars including the Acura NSX-R, S800, Civic R, NII360 Town and the McLaren Honda MP4/5.

To promote the app Honda used telemetry data collected during legendary Honda/McLaren driver Aryton Senna‘s record-setting qualifying lap at the 1989 F1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

The data collected from the car’s onboard telemetry was used to create the experience of sound and light. Speakers and lights were placed around the Suzuka Circuit along the path that Senna’s car drove on that day, and once night fell the record-setting lap was brought to life using a trail of light and the scream of the Honda/McLaren’s engine.

[via Contagious]

Japan

Pimped-Out Neighbourhood Featured in New UK Skoda Ad

Skoda Octavia UK Ad

It looks like Xzibit and the whole Pimp My Ride crew went crazy on the UK neighbourhood featured in a new 60-second commercial ad promoting the new Skoda Octavia vRS.

The neighbourhood featured pimped-up versions of everyday things such as an ice cream truck, lawnmower, baby carriage and a child’s tricycle.

In fact, the most ordinary item in the entire commercial may just be the featured car itself.

The ad was created by Fallon, and directed by Keith Schofield for Caviar.

[via Car Scoops]

UK

Speed Up Your Yardwork with a 130mph Honda Mean Mower

Honda UK & Top Gear Mean Mower

Back in May, the folks at Top Gear had an idea to create an enhanced version of your everyday ride-on lawnmower. Honda UK and Team Dynamics, who campaign Honda Racing’s Civics in the British Touring Car Championship, took up the challenge.

They began with Honda’s regular HF2620 Lawn Tractor, and re-engineered the mower from the ground up using an all-new fabricated chassis made from 4130 chromoly, added custom-built suspension, ATV wheels, and a steering rack taken from a Morris Minor. The engine was swapped out for a 1.0 liter engine from a Honda VTR Firestorm, the grass bag provided space for a bigger fuel tank and a high capacity oil cooler and a water cooling radiator were added.

While the Honda Mean Mower can top out at 130mph (209 km/h) on the track (here’s a video featuring Top Gear’s Stig), it still needs to be driven at a more neighbourhood-friendly speed of 15mph when actually cutting grass.

[via Car Scoops/]

UK

Land Rover Releases Stinky Air Fresheners That Smell Like Smoke and Hot Asphalt

Land Rover - City Scent

First invented in the early 1950s by Swiss-born Canadian businessman Julius Sämann, Little Trees air fresheners can be found hanging from the rear-view mirrors of vehicles around the world.

The air fresheners are now available in dozens of fragrances ranging from Cotton Candy to Pina Colada to New Car Scent. The classic scent of Royal Pine that started it all was influenced by the aromatics that Sämann had studied in the forests of Canada.

Speaking of the Canadian outdoors… to promote the introduction of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Y&R Canada has released a limited edition “City Scent” air freshener for your car featuring the smell of concrete, smoke and hot asphalt. City Scent will provide a pungent reminder to those drivers who wander too far away from town.

The limited edition air fresheners are available to Canadian residents who sign up for updates at LandRover.ca.

[via Campaign Brief US]

Canada

New Fiat Ad Sees Colonial America Invaded by Sexy Italian Style

Fiat USA "The Italians are Coming"

In this new ad for Fiat USA, a Paul Revere-esque character spots a cloud of dust in the distance and announces that, “The British are Coming, The British are Coming!”

A second look through his telescope reveals that the invasion is not from British troops at all, but a tight formation of bright red Italian Fiat 500Ls.

He quickly mounts his horse and rides through town yelling that “The Italians are coming, the Italians are coming!” Soon women’s dresses and hair are being shortened, the local pub has become a Club, and a table of tea is replaced with cups of espresso.

“Italian Invasion” was created by Doner and directed by Paul Goodman for Supply and Demand.

The ad features “Children of the Revolution“, a 1972 hit by T-Rex that hit #2 on the UK charts and has since become a glam rock classic.

[via The Portland Egotist]

USA