To introduce the new Range Rover Evoque compact SUV, Land Rover used Apple?s iAd for Brands to help it reach a younger audience with an immersive multimedia experience, with the results showing that engagement rates for the mobile ads exceeded other platforms.

The iAds for Evoque took advantage of accelerometer, gyroscope and touch interface technology to deliver an engaging user experience. On average, people spent nearly 80 seconds every time they engaged with the ad.

?For the Range Rover Evoque launch, one of our goals was to engage a new audience into the brand which was slightly younger than our traditional target yet still very style conscious,? said Ken Bracht, communications manager for Land Rover North America, Mahwah, NJ. ?As devices which are incredibly stylized and are bought by a generally more affluent audience, the iPhone and iPad were the ideal communication channels.

?The results exceed engagement metrics from other platforms,? he said. ?The standout metric was the average viewing time of 80 seconds.

?Having someone stop what they are doing and choose to engage with our brand for that long on such a personal device as their phone or tablet is incredibly powerful.?

Targeting younger consumers
The sporty crossover Evoque is meant to appeal to a younger consumer than Land Rover typically targets.

Land Rover leveraged the iAd Network to find this audience using data, unique interest and preference data. The goal was to attract 75 percent to 80 percent new customers who had never experienced or considered a Land Rover before.

The campaign used contextual targeting to reach its demographic target in the right environment while audience targeting enabled it to reach key psychographic target groups, such as urban trendsetters, no matter what apps they were engaging with.

The ads ran in late 2011 across Apps on both the iPhone and iPad devices.

Land Rover worked with agencies Mindshare and Y&R Group on the campaign for Evoque.

The ad unit enabled users to build their dream car by swiping their finger to change their Evoque?s body style, color and wheels.

Users could also take a picture of the car they created and save it to their device to use as wallpaper and email to friends.

The ad also included an interior view of the car that moved to show a 360-degree view of the inside when users tilted and turned their devices. The simulation took advantage of the gyroscope and accelerometer built in to every iOS device.

Unique experiences for iPhone and iPad were built leveraging device-specific features.

Rich user experience
The ad was a success for Land Rover, engaging more potential customers for longer periods of time. Additionally, those who engaged with the ad had a purchase intent two-and-a-half times higher than for those who had watched a concurrent TV ad for the new Land Rover Evoque.

?The defining element of the ad is the interactive 360' virtual tour of the interior of the Evoque,? Mr. Bracht said. ?It's a fantastic feature to be able to experience the styling and luxurious details of the Range Rover Evoque's interior just as you would if you were actually sitting inside of it.

?It's also important to note that the iAd ad unit was at the time somewhat revolutionary within the mobile space,? he said. ?It was like an app within an ad and was much richer than other mobile ad opportunities available and this was particularly important when trying to tell a story about a vehicle as differentiated in the market as the Range Rover Evoque.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York