Renault's "Drive the future" campaign for the New Koleos SUV positions the vehicle as a premium, versatile companion designed to meet the demands of dynamic professionals and entrepreneurs who seek to overcome challenges both personally and professionally. The campaign highlights the vehicle’s blend of athletic design and refined style, reinforcing Renault’s brand promise to simplify and enhance everyday life by offering an elevated driving experience that stands “out of the ordinary.”
Strategically, the campaign leverages emerging technology and immersive storytelling to engage a tech-savvy, high-end target audience comprising top managers and entrepreneurs. By integrating virtual reality (VR) test drives through accessible platforms like 360° videos on social media, Google Cardboard, and Oculus at motor shows, Renault creates an innovative, interactive experience that allows users to intimately explore the New Koleos from multiple perspectives—inside and out—heightening emotional engagement and brand recall. This digital activation serves both as an attention-grabbing stunt and a sustained engagement tool, aligning with the lifestyle aspirations of its audience who value cutting-edge experiences and the seamless blending of professional ambition with personal enjoyment.
The campaign’s use of a single continuous VR shot accompanied by spatialized sound underscores its premium positioning and technological sophistication, making it the first of its kind for Renault. The dual-film narrative—transitioning from the initial stunt to the immersive VR test drive—builds a cohesive 360° ecosystem that extends beyond traditional automotive advertising. This approach not only capitalizes on the growing demand for experiential content but also adapts Renault’s brand promise into a tangible, memorable interaction, reinforcing the New Koleos as a vehicle fit for those ready to push boundaries and “get to the next level.”
FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION — Directly shows how a product works and highlights its benefits.
This campaign’s core revolves around providing viewers—first through film, then through immersive VR—an actual, hands-on demonstration of the Renault Koleos’ key features, design, and driving experience. The narrative uses businessmen virtually driving the car in surprising situations, and the centerpiece VR activation fully immerses the audience, letting them “get behind the wheel” and experience both the car’s interior and performance in dynamic, real and fictional landscapes. Every description focuses on allowing users to directly discover the SUV’s “majestic style” and “out of the ordinary” benefits themselves, a hallmark of the Demonstration format—making the car’s capabilities, design, and advanced technology not merely claimed, but tangibly experienced by the audience.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. Peugeot – Market Positioning
Peugeot positions itself as a brand combining French design elegance with advanced technology. It targets customers seeking stylish, innovative, and efficient vehicles, focusing on driving pleasure and environmental responsibility through electrification and hybrid options.
2. Citroën – Market Positioning
Citroën emphasizes comfort and unique design, aiming to offer distinctive, quirky vehicles with a focus on innovation and accessibility. Their strategy revolves around affordable mobility solutions with an emphasis on comfort and practicality for everyday use.
3. Volkswagen – Market Positioning
Volkswagen leverages its reputation for German engineering quality, reliability, and a broad product range. It positions itself as a trustworthy brand delivering innovative technology and safety, appealing to a wide demographic from family cars to premium models.
4. Ford – Market Positioning
Ford focuses on performance, durability, and advanced technology, balancing American heritage with European manufacturing. It highlights fuel efficiency and driver engagement, aiming at customers valuing reliability and sporty driving experiences.
5. Toyota – Market Positioning
Toyota is recognized for its pioneering role in hybrid technology and strong reliability. It positions itself as a forward-thinking, eco-conscious brand delivering durable and efficient vehicles, with a broad appeal through innovation and sustainable mobility solutions.
Q: What is Drive the future about?
A: Drive the future is a 2017 professional campaign created by Publicis for Renault and launched in France to introduce the New Koleos SUV to the European market. The campaign centers on a film and immersive digital activation that showcase the vehicle’s athletic design and refined elegance, targeting top managers and entrepreneurs. Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the campaign leverages cinematic storytelling and virtual reality to position the New Koleos as a premium, versatile companion for individuals seeking to excel both professionally and personally, reflecting Renault’s renewed brand promise and design language.
Q: What creative device does Drive the future use?
A: Drive the future employs the Demonstration format, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy (FORMAT#1 DEMONSTRATION). This approach directly shows how the Renault Koleos works and highlights its benefits by immersing viewers in both a narrative film and a virtual reality experience. The campaign enables audiences to virtually test-drive the vehicle, exploring its features, design, and performance through interactive 360° content. By allowing users to experience the SUV’s capabilities firsthand, the campaign transforms product claims into tangible, memorable interactions.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Drive the future?
A: The campaign proposition for Drive the future positions the Renault New Koleos as a premium, versatile SUV designed for dynamic professionals and entrepreneurs who seek to overcome challenges in both their personal and professional lives. Renault communicates that the New Koleos blends athletic design with refined style, promising to simplify and elevate everyday experiences. By leveraging immersive technology and interactive storytelling, the campaign appeals to a tech-savvy, high-end audience, reinforcing Renault’s commitment to innovation and aligning the vehicle with the aspirations of those who value cutting-edge experiences and seamless integration of work and leisure.
Q: How does Drive the future rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Drive the future holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 78/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance within the automotive sector.
Q: Who are the competitors in Renault's category?
A: In the automotive category, Renault competes with Peugeot, which emphasizes French design and advanced technology for customers seeking style and efficiency; Citroën, known for comfort, unique design, and accessible innovation; Volkswagen, which leverages German engineering and reliability across a broad product range; Ford, focusing on performance, durability, and advanced technology with a balance of American heritage and European manufacturing; and Toyota, recognized for hybrid technology, reliability, and a forward-thinking approach to sustainable mobility.
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