Alpha Driver

In savvy marketing news, VW has a slick new strategy to target influencers–the “Alpha Driver” program. The manufacturer is rolling this out for the Passat redesign launch, with www.newpassatinfo.com (could have worked on that URL a little). They’re pretty specific about what they want from you, the loyal member of the VW family. Len Hunt, director of sales and marketing explains: “Here’s how it works. We bring you, the most loyal VW drivers, behind the scenes for a look into the VW brand. Show you around a little. Share with you what’s new. Bring you into our world. It’s then our hope that you’ll be so excited, you’ll go out and tell the world. Maybe not the whole world–but at least friends, neighbors, co-workers. Kind of becoming a volkswagen advocate.”

It’s a great strategy. When you sign-up, you have to answer survey questions which provide valuable data. For example, are there a few unexpected regions in the country that have a high number of VW loyalists? But the real power lies in targeting specific types of individuals who will share the far fig newton gospel for some special marketing materials and maybe a little schwag. If it sounds like they’re basically working for VW for free you’d be correct.

VW probably got the program name from the book The Anatomy of Buzz, which defines Alphas as “Powerful influencers, not because of the money they spend but because of the weight of their influence. They are typically independent, confident, opinionated, and curious. Alphas are driven by a hunger for stimulation, a disregard for convention, and an urge to take risks.”

June 24th, 2005