Pontiac Leverages TV Tie Through Website

Pontiac used its sponsorship of NBC’s “The Apprentice” to spread awareness of its all-new Solstice roadster. It was all designed to pump up demand for an early order program that would build buzz around the first 1,000 Solstices available to the general public. One of the tasks on the show focused on teams of contestants competing to come up with a brochure touting the new car, with a member of the losing team getting the boot from The Donald.

To leverage the broadcast exposure, Pontiac created a custom web site where customers could learn more about the car or register to buy one of the special-edition models. After registering online, customers received an ID number that they could take to dealers to see if they were among the first 1,000 to register. As a result, traffic to Pontiac’s web site increased dramatically (255 percent over the course of the promotion), and 41,000 consumers registered for the early order program. The first 1,000 Solstices sold out in 41 minutes.