Every year during the first week of August Television viewers
will tune into the Discovery Channel's Shark Week, which is a program
that is full of new shark related features, similar to the impact on
sharks global warming is having, sharks and shark attacks people caught
on video and the mock documentary about Megalodon, the prehistoric
shark. American based Volkswagen was also there as both Shark Week's
fundraising and presenting sponsor for two years in a row. So, as you
were watching the many great programs that all helped to make up Shark
Week 2013, the paragraphs below will show you what else Volkswagen did
on social media and behind the scenes.
Probably
one of the biggest ways in which Volkswagen helped with this year's
Shark Week was their most generous $50,000 donation to an organization
called Surfrider Foundation, whose purpose is for protecting the
beaches, sea life, oceans and beaches. The funds were helped to be
raised by VW's promotion through Twitter, in which all tweets that had
the hash tag "#VWSharkWeek" scored $2 toward the efforts of the
foundation, up to $50,000. Formed more than 25 years ago in Malibu,
California, the Surfrider Foundation is a group that is now active in
over 18 different countries.
The Surfrider Foundation is known as a
"grassroots organization" made up of water enthusiasts of every age
including beach goers and surfers who all have one goal in mind, which
is that the world's beaches and oceans remain protected and preserved.
Due to their $50,000 donation, and all the awareness they have brought
to the cause, VW is an honorary member.
The Beetle Shark Cage
Other
than their Twitter campaign, there were many other tricks VW had up
their sleeve for the 2013 Shark Week. If you watched the programming,
last year, VW made a Beetle into a shark cage and this year, they did
something similar, except rather than making a Beetle into a shark cage,
they made a Beetle into a convertible shark cage. The convertible shark
cage was taken on an ocean adventure by marine biologist Luke Tipple
that took him close to sharks of all kinds and other oceanic species.
Not
to be concerned, Luke was not harmed because of the new drive thrusters
were installed, which help to power it through the sea terrain and help
to give it maneuverability to navigate the ocean. The VW's website,
mobile apps and social media was able to take viewers right into the
convertible. When VW campaigned for the Beetle shark cage in 2012, they
received attention from several different film festivals.
Since
the bar has been raised for this year, the attention the sub aquatic
road trip of the Beetle convertible will be interesting to see. The
goodwill and entertainment value Shark Week 2013 created from their
presenting sponsor and partnership with the Discovery Channel, the only
question is what VW will have in store for 2014. August 2014 will bring
with it the answers. You can find other information about all the
Volkswagen vehicle family including the Beetle convertible and the
Beetle - not including the shark cage, by contacting your local VW
dealer today.