Among Porsche fans, the brand has no equal. To these drivers, Porsche sports cars are the pinnacle of a high performance driving experience, with a design that is beautiful and timeless. Among younger, affluent audiences however, the Porsche brand is not considered as relevant.

In June 2018, Porsche celebrated its 70th anniversary and launched the “Sportscar Together Day” campaign, inviting fans across the globe to join in the celebration. In association with the campaign and based on the US launch of the new Porsche Cayenne (SUV), it was a perfect opportunity to attract young, affluent audiences to the Porsche brand and launch the new Cayenne 2018 as the most “sharable” driving experience. As SUV competitors Mercedes and BMW significantly outspend Porsche, we needed to ensure our solution created impact and an emotional connection with the “driven youth” audience.

The global communication strategy, called Sportscar Together, was focused on demonstrating that the thrill of driving a Porsche sports car is even better when shared. We knew to capture the hearts and minds of “driven youth”
we needed to tap into the popular culture they love. We identified “Carpool Karaoke” as an ideal partner to showcase the new Porsche Cayenne.

“Carpool Karaoke” is an entertaining sketch featured on the “Late Late Show”, a CBS/US program hosted by popular British comedian and talk show host James Corden. In each episode James is driving to work in his SUV and stuck in LA traffic. To make it to work on time he picks up famous musician friends so he can use the carpool lane. During their drive they sing and enjoy entertaining banter.

The sketch has featured well known artists such as Adele, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Chris Martin, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Stevie Wonder. It has become a part of popular culture with millions of global YouTube viewers eagerly tuning in to watch the new episodes.

While several automotive brands have tried to get into Carpool Karaoke, we successfully negotiated with CBS and the “Late Late Show” to have Porsche featured as the first automotive brand to be integrated in the program.

Through the collaboration of Porsche, agency partners, CBS and the “Late Late Show”, the new Porsche Cayenne was seamlessly integrated into the Carpool Karaoke episode, featuring the brand/marque more than 30 times through
out the 11 minute video.

The success of the initiative was measured based on awareness and buzz metrics. The episode aired May 24th and received one million YouTube global views overnight. It was one of the “Top 10” trending global videos for the first
week of launch and had 9 million views within the first month, outperforming other “Carpool Karaoke” sketches.

Buzz and word of mouth metrics among our “driven youth” segment went up 75% and 175% respectively, compared to the weekly average for the quarter (YouGov). It also shifted the dial on purchase intent, with the “likelihood to
consider buying a Porsche” increasing by 25% amongst young affluent drivers.
To further leverage the episode, we negotiated and planned social activations on Facebook and Instagram, achieving 12 million total impressions within the first weeks of airing. Activity was also picked up organically and further
amplified by over 30 media networks such as the BBC, USA Today, Variety and Rolling Stone, increasing word of mouth and awareness for the new Porsche Cayenne and the Porsche brand.