CorpComms Magazine

With all 68 advertising slots for the 2011 Super Bowl already sold out, more than two months before the 6 February kick off, rival carmakers Mercedes-Benz and Audi have launched social media competitions to promote their brands in the run up to America's biggest annual sporting event.

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the 'World's First Twitter-Fuelled Race' which will award two new cars to the two person team that prompts the most tweets, Facebook 'likes' and social media coverage for the motoring giant.

Stephen Cannon, marketing vice president at Mercedes-Benz, said: 'We're using the 2011 Super Bowl as our head-long plunge into committing to social media. It's our strategic leap of faith.'

The initiative is targeting a younger audience than Mercedes-Benz's traditional customer in preparation for the launch of a new range of cars, created specifically for a younger demographic, in the next few years.

Audi, which has booked a 60 second advertising slot for the Super Bowl, will host an Audi Inner Circle social media contest. The car company will seek out, and reward, its ten 'most active' social media fans, awarding prizes and holidays for the most prolific and most original posts. Scott Keough, chief marketing officer at Audi of America, said: 'We're trying to use social media to glue everything together.'

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet