Das Interland
- Brand
- Volkswagen
- Year
- 2012
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Automotive
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Colorbleed
Objective
Ahead of Euro 2012, Volkswagen Nederland needed to reinforce two core brand values with Dutch drivers: being likeable and being innovative. With the Netherlands and Germany drawn into the same group, the brand leaned on the fact that Volkswagen was one of the few German products the Dutch genuinely loved, and used that goodwill to defuse the rivalry rather than stoke it, letting fans settle the score in a game before the two teams met on the pitch. It doubled as the first campaign Volkswagen's Dutch and German offices ever ran together, built to spread through their Facebook communities without a heavy media buy.
Solution
Players entered through the Volkswagen Facebook pages in the Netherlands or Germany, or downloaded the free iPhone/Android app, and were matched live against a real opponent from the other country for a penalty shootout. The game worked across desktop browsers, tablets and phones, so any two devices could face off against each other. Instead of controlling a footballer's leg, players aimed and struck with a simplified targeting control, with a wind-up animation timed so each shot still felt instant. Every goal scored added to a running national tally shown on a live Netherlands–Germany scoreboard, and the top-performing player won a Volkswagen up! painted in their team's colors.
Results
Over 12 days, the game logged more than 700,000 attacks and over 1.2 million shots on goal (a separate count put it at 600,000+ games played and 1,200,000+ penalties taken), closing with the Netherlands narrowly ahead of Germany, 308,933 goals to 293,811. One player spent over 54 hours in the game, and the app reached the top 10 free downloads on iTunes.
- 1
Players discover Das Interland through a call to action in their national Volkswagen Facebook community, Dutch or German, urging them to beat the rival country before the real match, and launch the game either inside Facebook or as a free app on iPhone or Android.
- 2
Each player competes on behalf of their own country, entering a nationwide Netherlands-versus-Germany contest in which every goal they score feeds into that country's running tally.
- 3
The game matches players across devices, desktop, tablet, or smartphone, pairing each with a live human opponent from the rival country for a real-time penalty shootout.
- 4
As the shooter, the player aims and fires using a dedicated targeting control rather than a footballer's leg, with a brief charging animation building tension before the kick lands instantly.
- 5
Players and their opponents trade shots back and forth, taking multiple attacks within a single session.
- 6
Every goal scored adds to the player's country on a running national scoreboard tracked across the whole campaign.
- 7
The top-performing player wins a Volkswagen up! painted in their national team's colors, a prize that draws players back for repeated sessions.
- 8
The game is only playable during a fixed twelve-day window leading up to the real Netherlands-Germany match, and closes for good once that match kicks off.
