Mazda launches user-generated MX-5 campaign

Mazda is launching its new MX-5 Roadster Coupe model with an online campaign based solely on user-generated content.

The pan-European campaign created by JWT marks the first time the company has led a major car launch with online activity.

Three virals and a poster campaign direct people to a microsite created by interactive agency Syzygy which allows visitors to create a 12-second “mini movie” with 16 possible outcomes. The clips can then be e-mailed to friends or entered into a competition.

The name of the campaign – 12-second thrillers – relates to the time it takes the roof to open and close on the new Mazda. The company claims it is the fastest retractable roof in the world.

Mazda has more than doubled its digital media spend in the UK this year from 5.5% to 12.5% of its budget. Pieter Dorenbosch, e-business manager at Mazda Motors Europe, says: “This shows our greater commitment to digital, with a record percentage of our overall marketing budget being devoted to digital activity this year.”