Audi Canada markets a range of premium luxury automobiles across all vehicle segments, competing against the likes of BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Infiniti. The brand’s reputation has been built in large part on its industry leading Quattro all-wheel drive system.

In 2013, the Audi A4 sedan was redesigned with significant interior, exterior and technology updates. Individually, many of these upgrades were simply too advanced or intricate to communicate to the consumer. As a whole, however, the technology story was something its agency, Zulu Alpha Kilo (ZAK), could build a campaign around.

In automotive sales, driving is believing. But over the decades, little innovation had been applied to the traditional test-drive. So ZAK set out to reinvent the test-drive and let consumers put the road-hugging capabilities of the 2013 Audi A4 to the test in a new and unexpected way, while also highlighting Audi innovation and precision craftsmanship.

The Audi Quattro Experience, a one-of-a-kind interactive installation, put drivers directly behind the wheel of a custom-made 1:32 scale Audi A4 slot car. Using the world’s first iPad-enabled slot car controller, consumers were invited to take an A4 for a test drive through hairpin turns, long highway straight-aways and icy mountain passes – terrain that would get the better of lesser vehicles.

To augment the gaming feel of the experience, live video streamed directly from each slot car to the iPad controller for the driver to view. The custom app was also used to control vehicle acceleration. At the end of each test-drive, participants could share their video on Facebook or Twitter.

The installation was stationed in the RBC Plaza, in the heart of Toronto’s financial district. This location was chosen for its proximity to the brand’s business target. Video screens in the square alternated between live racing footage and promotional loops touting the campaign microsite and a behind-the-scenes documentary film.

On the website, the audience could watch a live video of the installation, as well as learn more about the technology and craftsmanship involved in the installation and the new A4.

The brand created a film, entitled “Painting Coconuts,” that captured the entire build of the installation through the eyes of track maker David Beattie of Slot Mods USA. Looking behind the scenes, the film shows the lead up to the launch of the installation and offers a unique look into Beattie’s personal story, his passion for the art of custom track design and the sport of slot car racing.

Press coverage of the event and documentary appeared in online publications such as Fast Company, Mashable, Techcrunch, Engadget, Devour, PSFK, Road & Track and AutoBlog, among others.

During the two-week activation, 3,932 participants got “behind the wheel” to test drive the slot cars – a 4,525% increase over the average number for a top dealer during the same period. The brand’s race car videos garnered over 120,000 YouTube views and the installation generated nearly 800,000 overall experience impressions in the heart of Toronto’s downtown legal and financial district (where there brand’s  primary demographic live and work.)

Since launch, the documentary has been viewed 185,000 times, generating 2,775,000 minutes of time spent with the brand. Estimated earned media impressions total 4,671,156, and in the four weeks following launch, the campaign contributed to a 209% increase in Facebook fans as well as a 30% increase in sales for September to December 2012 versus the same time the year prior.