Dive Brief:

• Chevrolet Brazil developed a mobile game for WhatsApp to drive awareness around the dangers of texting and driving. The effort coincides with Yellow May, the international awareness month for reducing traffic accidents, and will be supported with promotions on Instagram Stories and Twitter.
• Mobile users can access the Zap Racing game on the chat app by typing “hello” to Chevrolet. Messages populate the screen with emoji showing a car getting increasingly close to obstacles like trees, bikers and other cars, while players can move their vehicle by responding with commands in the chat. The game gets more difficult with each stage, and all players will inevitably crash at the end. A final message displays information about the dangers of texting and driving.
• Following the car brand’s TikTok debut last year, the game builds on Chevrolet’s greater attention to social media marketing and suggests it may be eyeing younger consumers who tend to be heavy app users.

Dive Insight:

Despite its playful nature, Chevrolet's mobile game conveys a serious message about the dangers of texting and driving. The gamified concept might help people better absorb the message. Incorporating the interactive experience into a popular app like WhatsApp will likely encourage more consumers to engage with Chevrolet’s content, as about 2 billion people use the Meta-owned mobile app monthly.

“The goal is for people to always lose the game, regardless of their ability, so that we can interactively show the importance of keeping attention while driving and never [being] on the cell phone while driving,” Federico Wassermann, marketing manager for General Motors South America, said in a statement.

Chevrolet is using other popular social media platforms like Instagram Stories and Twitter to promote the mobile game and supplement it with useful tips and stats around the perils of texting and driving. The effort, timed to the global awareness month for reducing car accidents, aligns with Chevrolet’s message around safe driving. Once game players inevitably crash their virtual vehicle, they’re steered to the carmaker’s website, where they can learn more about how to remain safe on the road.

Chevrolet isn’t the first auto brand to incorporate gaming into its mobile marketing approach. Honda-owned Acura in 2020 released a mini video game to showcase its focus on high performance. “Beat That” challenged people on Facebook Instant Games to race on six different tracks, driving cars featured in Acura’s TV commercial. While Acura and Chevrolet have different missions in their gaming efforts — performance and safety, respectively — they both employ gamified experiences to extend brand exposure with consumers on popular mobile apps.

For Chevrolet, the mobile game on WhatsApp builds a heightened focus around popular social media and messaging apps. The car brand last year made its debut on TikTok with a remixed version of “My Truck,” a hit song by hip-hop performer Breland.