It was approaching December when I was asked to create a Digital PR campaign for the electric Renault ZOE. Now… who travels a long way at Christmas, and who needs a big boot to carry a lot of things? Santa Claus of course! And there was my idea: #SantaGoesElectric.
The idea involved Santa driving an electric and fully campaign-branded Renault ZOE “sleigh” around the UK, delivering free gifts (partnered with Montezuma’s chocolate), with the public able to engage and track the car on social media through the campaign hashtag #SantaGoesElectric. The underpinning concept was to demonstrate the ZOE’s capabilities and ease any misconceptions, by demonstrating the miles covered, while the gifts delivered showcased the range and capacity of the vehicle.
I spent a day on the phone to professors and government environment advisors to find out how much CO2 nine reindeer would emit so that we could calculate their cost per mile (carrots per mile!). Comparing this with the emission and cost of a Renault ZOE making the same trip, It positioned the car as a cost-effective, environmentally-viable solution. The press angle was that Santa would use a four-day test drive to see how far he can get and how many gifts he can deliver in his ZOE sleigh to see if it is time to retire his reindeer and go 100% electric.
It drew a lot of attention and public engagement around the Christmas period. The campaign was shortlisted in the ‘Best Use of PR in a Search Campaign’ and ‘Best Use of Content Marketing’ in The Drum’s 2018 Search Awards.