Oprah's free-car giveaway

Today I'm gonna share an incredible and amazing advertising/marketing case to you - Oprah's Free-Car Giveaway. 

In 2004, one of the most unforgettable surprises in Oprah Show history, Oprah gave each unsuspecting audience member a brand new Pontiac G6. The ecstatic moment became a pop-culture staple ("You get a car! You get a car!"), and 14 years later, it's still a thrill to watch.

There are 276 members on the scene. Each of them found themselves with a new Pontiac G-6 sedan. Its retail price is about $28,500. Some may ask, "why spend so much money on giving cars to just 276 members?", "Did that work?", "How does it work?" and so on. Now, you can watch the video first, and tell me How you feel.

General Motors spent 8 millions in total on this amazing event. They saw the potential influence of The Oprah Winfrey Show. GM spent this money as the cost of marketing. They used this kind of unexpected way, different from billboard in Time Square or Superbowl Ads, to create a nationwide famous. They chose the word of mouth to spread their story. The decision of this idea is still hard to made even in today. Superbowl Ads only cost 5 millions today. What did the 8 millions spent means on a TV show? But when we compare to the result, this decision becomes one of the greatest promotion in the history of television.

Result: $5k per G6 vehicle higher revenue than prior Grand Am at launch; 

G6 brand name awareness reached 70% in 1/3 the normal time and faster than any other historical GM launch; 

300% increase in building vehicles online, 200% increase in "locate a Dealer"; 

Pontiac G6 beat sales forecast by 183% month of promo; 

G6 sales 132% of retail objective in following month; 

Compare to prior Grand Am, G6 shopper median income rose 25%; 

$100MM worth of media exposure; 

87% of American adults aware of the promotion.