Volvo ties car sweepstakes to a safety happening during the Super Bowl

Dive Brief:

Volvo Car USA has dubbed Feb. 2 "Volvo Safety Sunday" and will give away $1 million in cars if a safety takes place during the Super Bowl, which takes place on the same day, according to a press release shared with Marketing Dive. The company is promoting the sweepstakes on its social media channels.
To participate, consumers must visit VolvoSafetySunday.com between now and just before big game begins. On the site, visitors are encouraged to design their own Volvo from 2020 models, adding the features of their choice. On the summary page, participants will be presented with a "Try to Win This Volvo" button. Clicking on it creates a unique configuration code, which is necessary to enter the contest.
To receive their submission code for the contest, consumers must share their name, address, email and preferred dealer. Volvo also suggests people sign up to receive special email offers from the brand. If a safety occurs, Volvo will randomly choose winning entrants.

Dive Insight:

Volvo Car USA is hoping to drive awareness and excitement for the brand among football fans by drawing a comparison between a safety during game play — which can change the course of a game — and the automaker's own safety features, which it claims have been a game-changer for millions of people on the road. A safety is a relatively rare occurrence in football that happens when an offensive team is tackled, loses or fumbles the ball in their own end zone, which scores the defensive team two points.

Giving away $1 million in product is a lot cheaper than buying a Super Bowl ad, which cost on average around $5 million for a 30-second spot. And the company may not even have to spend that much if a safety doesn't occur. Still if a safety does take place, Volvo has the opportunity to keep the conversation going as it promotes the winners of its sweepstakes.

Creating an online destination for the promotion means that consumers could visit the site and check out new models of the cars regardless. By requiring consumers to customize the car they would choose, people are exposed to each new model, as well as its custom features and offerings. And by collecting personal data, Volvo can send follow up marketing to these consumers.

Other car marketers will be using the big game to spotlight their cars. Hyundai Motor America, for instance, tapped actors Chris Evans, John Krasinski, and Rachel Dratch alongside Boston Red Sox legend David "Big Papi" Ortiz for a humorous spot that will also capture eyeballs for consumers in the market to buy a car.

Volvo has a history of creating successful social media promotions around the Super Bowl on a much lower budget than a TV ad. For instance, in 2015, the car maker called on consumers on social media to share why they loved Volvo during competitive car commercials that aired during the game, for the chance to win a car for a loved one. To promote the effort, the automaker gave away a car on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The company saw a 70% increase in sales of the promoted model the following month and the effort generated 55,000 tweets.