GTI campaign continues with surfing at Goodwood
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Peugeot is taking the thrill of the surf to Goodwood Festival of Speed (Thursday 11th – Sunday 14th July) to celebrate the launch of its new 208 GTi model with event activation led by Initials Marketing.
The ‘Enjoy the Ride’ concept, created by Initials in partnership with Peugeot UK will give Goodwood visitors the chance to don a wetsuit and experience the thrill of surfing, exclusively on the Peugeot stand – the first activity of its kind to appear at the Festival of Speed
The free, life-like surf experience is designed to underpin the dynamism, enjoyment and excitement of driving the new Peugeot 208 GTi. A Flowrider Surf Machine will be the central experiential feature of Peugeot’s main stand, positioned in a 25 square metre area making it a stand-out attraction at The Goodwood Festival of Speed. Most of the 400 places on the Surf Machine have been pre-booked on-line to take place across the four days. Visitors who have not pre-booked a session will still be able to book the final few sessions on the day on a first come, first serve basis.
Campaign objectives are to raise the profile of the new Peugeot 208 GTi model and to generate vehicle demonstrations and brochure requests from interested drivers. So far over 600 orders for this new performance hatchback have been placed – half of the year’s allocation.
Peugeot will have a range of cars on show including the Onyx Concept Car and the winning 208 T16 Pikes Peak car, and the world debut of the RCZ R of which will take on the Goodwood Hill Climb. The stand will also feature the new 270bhp RCZ R, the award-winning RCZ Sports Coupé plus the dynamic 208 GTi and the new luxury208 XY.
Working with their partners, Initials is responsible for the entire activation including creative look and feel, stand build, production and staffing. The campaign activity will also be amplified across Peugeot and Goodwood Festival of Speed social media platforms. This is the second year the agency has led Peugeot’s presence at the Festival of Speed.
Nick Crossley, brand advertising, partnership and sponsorship manager at Peugeot, said: “The 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed represents the 20th anniversary of the event, so as a key sponsor of the festival, we wanted to add our own bit of excitement to this great event.
“Visitors to the stand will be invited to check out the new Peugeot 208 GTi, propelled by a 200bhp 1.6 litre THP petrol engine, then spend up to 60 minutes under the guidance of the Peugeot Pro Surfers, designed to replicate a drive in the GTi model. Initials Marketing did a fantastic job for us last year, and has again delivered experiential activity that captures the essence and fun of the Peugeot brand and the 208 GTi model which we have no doubt will leave a lasting impression this year’s Goodwood visitors.”
Phil Norris, project director at Initials, added: “The exhilaration of surfing is likened to that of driving the new Peugeot 208 GTi, while the ‘Enjoy the Ride’ banner represents the comparison of the rush of a wave with the speed and design of the 208 GTi.
“In trying out the Flowrider Surf Machine we hope to give Festival of Speed visitors a glimpse into the exhilarating experience of driving the 208 GTi. The fact that Richard Hammond described driving the new Peugeot 208 GTi as “like surfing a wave of exploding petrol…” on the most recent episode of BBC Top Gear, and the fact that we’re activating the Peugeot stand with an actual surf machine is a complete coincidence – this year’s Festival of Speed promises to be an unforgettable one!”
The activity at Goodwood is the next stage of the ‘GTi is Back’ experiential campaign by Initials which kicked off last month with a national roadshow, to mark the revival and return of the performance GTi model to the car market.
