Seat’s innovative Test Drive Diary

In a world of ‘tweets’, ‘posts’ and ‘likes’ it’s only right that young-spirited car brand SEAT is leading the way in social media with an innovative feature on Facebook.
 
The dynamic Spanish car brand’s UK operation recently launched its exciting ‘Test Drive Diaries’ initiative and, already, several lucky followers of the firm’s UK presence in cyberspace have been selected for a week behind the wheel of a new SEAT.
 
The idea is simple: SEAT’s ingenious marketing team gives ordinary drivers from around the UK who express an interest in taking part the chance to spend seven days driving a new model from the Spanish brand’s portfolio of exciting, award-winning new cars. 

In return, the lucky drivers document their experiences via a video camera.  The resulting footage is cut together into a short film which appears on SEAT UK’s increasingly busy Facebook wall.
 
Updates on the SEAT page alert followers to the latest ‘Test Drive Diaries’ recruitment phase, after which would-be drivers simply post comments on the wall telling the SEAT social media team what they would do with the vehicle during their week-long loan.
 
The most recent video features musician and SEAT aficionado Nick Duff who spent a week at the wheel of a new SEAT Alhambra.  Among the challenges he faced was loading the award-winning seven-seat MPV with kit for a gig by his pop and rock covers band The Antidote.
 
The videos generate comment and debate on SEAT’s Facebook wall, while in Nick’s case the experience led to him actually buying a new car – opting for a ‘61’ plate SEAT Ibiza Sportrider from Pentagon SEAT in Scunthorpe.
 
SEAT UK National Communications Manager Steve Bellew said: ‘The amazing success of this exciting initiative on Facebook has really taken us all by surprise.
 
‘In the few weeks it has been running we’ve already generated some great videos, and some great interaction with SEAT enthusiasts on Facebook.  I’m really pleased with the feedback we’ve been getting as our Facebook presence gathers more followers by the day.’
 
To find out more about SEAT Test Drive Diaries on Facebook, or to put your name forward for the next week-long video drive, simply follow the SEAT UK Facebook account at: facebook.com/seatuk?sk=wall and then click on the relevant link.