Back to Basics

The largest car show in the Americas was this year a testament to the renaissance of the auto industry, and as such it was chock full of savvy exhibits and high impact experientials. Though the Cobo Center hosted dozens of digital and online features, for us, the highlight of the show was an astounding variety of old school live interactive tactics. For today’s modern event marketer, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and promise of gadgetry and touch screens, and though those were well represented, sometimes the most memorable experiences are the ones attendees can get their hands on. Here, we give you our votes for the best low-tech, high-impact experiences at the show.

The Moving Car
This sounds like a no-brainer, we know. But on the main show floor, Ford had the only live ride and drive experience. (There was an eco-ride and drive track, but it may as well have been invisible, it was so distanced from the main show.) Ford’s track was elevated, exquisitely designed and a great ride. It showcased the new all-electric Focus and Transport Van and, though guests didn’t drive, knowledgeable brand ambassadors kept the conversation flowing for the five- minute ride. At the top of the slope, 180 degrees from the start, the driver pulled the vehicle onto the dynamometer (a stationary roller used to measure horsepower, torque and acceleration) and accelerated to 45 m.p.h. to show off the power of the ride. Then it was an easy coast back to the beginning. Smooth.

How Much Can You Tow?
To drive home the power built into its eponymous “Built Ford Tough” trucks, the brand invited attendees to strap on a yoke and find out what kind of horsepower they could create in the “How Much Can you Tow?” zone. Here, a brand ambassador helped power-hungry fans put on a harness and dig deep for the kind of power previously reserved for oxen, earthmovers and residents of Castle Grayskull (Agencies: Imagination, Detroit; Build: EWI Worldwide, Detroit).

Screaming Left
Toyota has a far-reaching racing heritage, and to underscore that fact, it set aside about 1,000 square feet of its footprint for a NASCAR zone, complete with its real stock car and a concept car, not yet in production but full of face-peeling speed potential. The whole back wall was filled with a pile of LED-lit tires that served as the backdrop for a racing trivia game, hosted by a Toyota staffer and with a variety of promo prizes up for grabs. For the little fans, a magnetic, arcade-style racing game was set up near the entrance (Agency: George P. Johnson, Detroit).

Museum Piece
Ford’s new minivan, the C-Max, got a starring berth near the middle of the automaker’s huge footprint, and to emphasize the family-friendly nature of the vehicle, the brand set up an activity table with simple wooden puzzles. The pieces were all reminiscent of the C-Max and assembled in myriad combinations, dependent only on the imagination. The table had a rubbing station, like the ones found at monuments, with the C-Max and Ford logos on special auto show paper (Agencies: Imagination, Detroit; Build: EWI Worldwide, Detroit).

Luxuriant Oasis
Buick launched the new Verano, a luxury compact four-door sedan, and to get attendees in the spirit of things, gave them an opportunity to sit in the leather-clad opulence of the Buick Verano Experience. There was a short feature video highlighting the car’s features, soft music and spectacular design, all adding up to a feeling akin to being wrapped in old leather, handed a snifter of Rémy Martin Louis XIII cognac and lulled into ecstasy by all four tenors (Agency: Jack Morton Worldwide, Detroit).

For the Kiddos, Big and Small
A simple slot car racetrack drew lines for Ford, pitting up to four competitors against one another for the fastest time. Though that sounds simple, the genius that drew kids of all ages to the track again and again was the carrot. Right next door was the new Mustang, up on the dynamometer, and the fastest racer in the heat right before a test got to sit shotgun inside the muscle car while a staffer pushed it to redline. The best part? The dyno tests were not announced, so you had to win the race and get lucky. Nice. (Agencies: Imagination, Detroit; Build: EWI Worldwide, Detroit).

Business-Chic
For the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep exhibit, the star was the car, so activities were at a minimum, but it was clear that they were there to get the job done. To send that point to the rafters, the brand built four ceiling-scraping cylindrical meeting areas, spaced across the long, narrow footprint. Each had a different design scheme, matching the nearby sub-brand’s flavor. While open and unoccupied they invited footsore show-goers inside to take a load off, but just slide the pocket door closed and it became a cozy, private, nearly soundproof meeting room just oozing the “you need to do business with us” message. Transmission received (Agency: George P. Johnson, Detroit).

Get Smart
Smart makes one of the smallest production cars in the market but belying its stature, the brand went tall and broad with its exhibits. The brand kept its little efficient cars in the spotlight, not taking focus away, but enhancing the fun with simple, neat coolness. The best interactive was designed to highlight the consumer’s ability to customize everything about the Smart experience by showing just one feature. Every sound the car makes, that’s right, every annoying bong and ding, can be set to the driver’s own preferences, be it music, or sound effects or recorded voice. To demonstrate, one need only open the car door to hear the first four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, or put on the turn signal to hear Vivaldi instead of a tick-tock. Why, oh why, doesn’t every car have this? The brand also had the only mobile device charging station anywhere on the floor, which was very popular, unless you needed a micro-USB charging port (which we did).