Chevrolet is using the annual SXSW Interactive conference to kick off its digital marketing initiatives, including social media, mobile, and augmented reality programs. It's the first major digital move for Chevy, which plans to devote 30 percent of its ad spend to digital this year, Ad Age reports.
One initiative unveiled in Austin is a mobile augmented reality app, iReveal, which lets consumers view three-dimensional models of cars on city streets. Chevy also affixed QR codes to the hoods of its cars around Austin that, when photographed by a mobile phone, launch microsites with more information about the car.
While Chevy is using SXSW as a launching pad for its digital campaigns, the brand maintains that its focus on interactive will continue long after the festival. The company plans to commit 30 percent of its marketing budget to digital this year and it used SXSW as a launching pad to solicit feedback from the assembled technology experts.
Other car brands have launched digital campaigns in the past, but Chevy is just the second of the Big Three automakers, after Ford, to fully embrace digital.
