Saab Advertising

Back in January, Saab Cars North America launched a new marketing campaign called “The Story of Saab”.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCK55wht8BQ

The campaign also included a number of print ads, which Saab shared on their Facebook page. We shared them here on Saabs United too, as they became available. They’ve been used in magazines and newspapers since then, with other ads appearing on billboards in major cities.

They’re now moving on to the next step. Here’s what they said back in January…..

Online/social-media will be an important part of this campaign. Saab will preview the television commercial January 30th on its Facebook page. In addition, Facebook followers will be asked to write ads for the company, one or more of which will be used in future online advertising.

And here’s what they’ve announced in a new press release, today:

‘The Story of Saab’ Goes Social on Facebook

• Program enables Saab fans to create and star in their own web banners
• Select consumer-generated web banners to be used for national campaign

ROYAL OAK, Mich., March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Saab Cars North America has debuted a social media effort within Facebook designed to tap into the passion and enthusiasm that Saab fans and owners, present and past, feel for the brand.

Through Saab’s Facebook page, fans can write and star in their own Saab web banners using a template that mirrors the look and feel of “The Story of Saab” online and print creative, post to their Facebook wall and share with friends. Saab will choose a selection of the consumer-generated banners to run on an array of websites that could include AOL, MSN, the websites of The New York Times and Wired, among others, in late March.

The first of its kind social media program is an extension of “The Story of Saab,” a multi-media, multi-faceted national advertising campaign, which debuted in the U.S. in late January.

“Saab has an incredibly loyal owner and fan base. Over the past year we have heard from fans all over the world and they are so passionate about the cars they love. Who better to tell the Story of Saab than the people who make it what it is,” said Nicole Jankowski, Saab Cars North America’s Marketing Communications Manager.

Purchased by entrepreneur Victor Muller, CEO Spyker Cars N.V. in 2010, Saab is working to regain its place as an independent and viable automaker in the minds of potential consumers in the U.S.

“Saab fans are a very devoted and passionate group,” said Jennifer Swantek, Vice President, Account Director, McCann Worldgroup Team Saab. “As we were working to relaunch the brand, we knew it would be important to find ways to leverage Saab’s loyal fan base. People want to share their passion for the Saab brand. They just needed an outlet. Now, through Facebook, we can give our enthusiasts that voice.”

“The Story of Saab” was created by McCann Worldgroup Detroit’s Team Saab for the U.S. market. Team Saab also has the responsibility of creating the global launch campaign for the company’s next product, the 9-4X. Team Saab also partnered with iWerk, a Royal Oak, Michigan based software development company, to create the Facebook technology.

Willing entrants to the competition will need to enter it through Saab’s Facebook page. It’ll be open to US residents only, so all you budding European or Asian designers will have to sit back and watch this time.

—

I made some ungracious remarks about some aspects of this competition that annoyed me. I’ve since had an opportunity to bring these issues up directly with the McCann team and consequently, feel it’s inappropriate to keep them on site.

—

I hope that as many of you US-based Saab nuts enter the competition as possible. It’d be great to see an SU reader with some of their work posted to the online masthead of the New York Times.

—