- Kenneth Hein

Can vampires sell cars? Volvo certainly thinks so. The Swedish carmaker has launched Whatdrivesedward.com. On the site, consumers can win the chance to attend the premiere of The Twilight Saga: New Moon on Nov. 16, meet members of the cast and receive their own Volvo XC60.

The contest plays off of Volvo’s product placement deal with Summit Entertainment, under which Edward Cullen drives the new crossover vehicle. “Volvo is central to Edward’s character in the Twilight saga,” said Doug Speck, president and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, in a statement.

The chance to win the car begins Nov. 1. Fans are challenged to answer a series of questions. Participants are encouraged to exchange hints through Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. The first one to solve the puzzle wins. The site also features a trailers, a variety of photo downloads and wallpapers.

Volvo spent $50 million on media last year, per Nielsen. It spent $18 million for the first eight months of the year. Havas' Euro RSCG 4D is the agency driving the effort. Sibling Arnold is handling TV, print and in-dealership support.

“Presumably with Twilight being a tween girl franchise, they are hoping that the message might be picked up by moms to use the Volvo to take their adolescent little vampires to soccer practice,” said Lucian James of the brand strategy consultancy Agenda.

That being said, Twilight has plenty of activity around the tween crowd, including a partnership with Burger King and the virtual world Habbo. Summit Entertainment’s president of worldwide marketing, Nancy Kirkpatrick, was named one of Brandweek’s Marketers of the Year last month.


Nielsen Business Media