ALPINE IS BACK OR HOW A MOTOR BRAND DARES TO GO DIGITAL FOR ITS COMEBACK

Unlike car launches backed by big TV advertising campaigns, Alpine decided to bet everything on digital so as to once again spark the passion of its exacting community of enthusiasts while arousing curiosity among new fans. The brand built up an interlinked ecosystem where each contact point reveals one of the brand’s facets, i.e. a website designed like a magazine or a Tumblr artsy picture that now includes a new video, a mobile app for early adopters and an e-shop opening in April and yet it all began with a single rallying tweet under the slogan “Alpine is back!”

Valérie Planchez, Havas Paris Senior Vice President, explains: “The car launch relied on running a fully digital community underpinned by events and brand content, while paving the way for future marketing media. The launch was made possible by ultra close and nimble teamwork between Havas and Alpine.”

The unprecedented launch lasting over 12 months in France, UK, Germany and Japan, was overseen by Havas Paris who were responsible for overall advice, creative design, content and the PR, EPR and social media campaigns. The launch tapped into the features of Havas Village France with a musical rendition of its strengths, namely events via Havas Events, sales outlets design via W&Cie, production via Digital Factory-Havas Productions-HCRLS as well as Havas Forward Media and other Havas Village firms including Cake London, Havas Tokyo and Havas PR Hamburg.

An event to get pulses racing
French brand Alpine used to be nicknamed the French Porsche, a brand of yesteryear, but just a year ago once again fired up Alpine enthusiasts in Monaco, where it had made its name on the race track with countless triumphs. On February 16, 2016 Alpine attracted 80 sports car collectors for a team rally over the Col de Turini that forms part of the legendary Monte-Carlo rally, giving fans a once-in-a-lifetime experience while bringing the Alpine legend back to life. The rally, attended by 150 international journalists and lobbyists, drew on the past and the present and rooted the brand firmly in its glorious heritage. The rally’s digitally-based press conference attracted huge coverage in the press and social media and unveiled Alpine Vision for the first time. Alpine Vision is a concept-car very similar to the future series model (over 400 global press and web articles, 37 million tweets at #Alpine’sBack, trending topic for the day in France).

Design has always been the brand’s driving force
Alpine reflects a lifestyle with a design history and symbolising adventure to set pulses racing. Havas Paris’s Art Supervisor Lucas Mongiello’s eagle eye made sure the look and symbols were underpinned by ultra-modern scale drawings. Alpine designed its website and content including The blue route drive from Switzerland to Italy, the first Alpine video (using Gifs), and provided an original experience at the Fiac International Contemporary Art Fair. To do so, the brand signed up talents including young photographers Amy Shore and Vincent Perraud and artist Camille Moulin-Dupré who did the illustrations for the Japan launch.

The all-digital bet to reach high-end connected customers
The brand built up an interlinked ecosystem where each contact point reveals one of the brand’s facets. In this way the operation developed a website designed like a magazine or a Tumblr artsy picture, a mobile app for early adopters and an e-shop opening in April. The Alpine campaign also drew on a tactical social media strategy under the #Alpine’sback slogan, which told the brand’s story in real life and on the race track - LMP2 2016 world champion and 24 Hour Le Mans winner - all designed to attract, high-end connected customers.

alpinecars.com is a real magazine
The alpinecars.com website was written as a real magazine drawing on still and moving pictures. By tapping into the brand’s history with a modern touch, the website creates a world built on modern graphics. The site is user-friendly, artistic and harmonious, giving users a flowing experience and including highlights from the brand’s heyday, including Alpine at Goodwood, Alpine on the Blue Route and in Japan. It also depicts show cars and future models with workshops, lines, engineering and high-tech. Journalists such as Marie Farman, a design expert, wrote the text. The website features all formats including the Alpine series trailer (type 55) shot at the Col de Turini by Lucas Mongiello.

Social media with original content
The brand’s 3 social networks were designed to promote the website and the quality of the writing is apt to attract various regional upmarket communities, including Facebook in France, UK, Germany and Japan; Twitter in France, UK and Japan; and French and English bilingual Instagram account.

• The Alpine Facebook page is the brand’s top attraction for enthusiasts and early adopters. The page provides behind-the-scenes details including videos, gifs and photos, in a friendly, authentic style.
• Alpine’s Twitter accounts feature the brand’s news in real time addressing opinion leaders, lobbyists and journalists, as well as high earners.
• Dreamt up as an artist’s portfolio, Alpine Instagram targets an art-loving public attracted to the car and above all the lifestyle that it conjures up. The account brings to the fore Alpine’s artistic qualities. The pictures were put together as a series of 9 themed sections including racing, spare parts and driving trips.
  
  

Bricks-and-mortar and digital stores
A flagship store will open late March in Boulogne (122 bis avenue du Général Leclerc) that will plunge visitors into the brand’s glorious history and show them the new car. W&Cie and Havas Paris together designed the store’s architecture, layout, content and event plan. The store will be up and running ahead of Alpine car dealerships, the first of which will open in October. An e-shop will be added in April via alpinecars.com to market a range of products for car racing fans, lifestyle products such as luggage and limited editions.

An app to pre-order
A mobile app for early adopters was dreamt up to attract series model pre-orders. Launched December 10, 2016 after a one-year marketing campaign, the app sold 1,955 Alpine Première Edition cars in just 48 hours in all countries involved !