Insight
The Epic Split video is part of the Live test series – and an answer to Volvo Trucks’s challenge: How do you get people all over the world to talk about trucks? In this video Volvo Truck also wanted to stir up excitement for the new, unique feature – Volvo Dynamic Steering – with a very limited media budget.
Strategy
Like the other videos in the Live Test Series, the Epic Split had to to work on two levels: Highly relevant for truck buyers and drivers – but at the same time spectacular and entertaining enough to attract a broad audience. Why? Because truck buyers are surrounded by a lot of influencers. Like drivers, friends and families. Thanks to the Live Test series, Volvo Trucks’ fan base in social media had grown dramatically. Now it was the time to use that base for the grand finale of 2013 – Live test 6, featuring Van Damme.
Execution
In the video Jean-Claude Van Damme carried out his famous split between two trucks, testing the precision of Volvo Dynamic Steering. Music: Only Time by Enya. The camera pan around the two golden Volvo FM, the sun is rising and we see that the trucks are reversing. Truck buyers and drivers will notice that this would be impossible without the new steering. All others will se “the most epic of splilts”, as Van Damme says in in his personal VO. The video was aired solely on Volvo Trucks’ YouTube channel. Then it was followed up Volvo Trucks’s social media channels and combined with extensive PR.
Results
The most viewed automotive commercial on YouTube ever with 70 million views.
- 6 million shares on social networks
- 10 million impressions on Google.com
- No 6 in YouTube’s Top Ten Trending 2013
- Thousands of spoofs, adding an extra 50 million of views
- Extensive media coverage generating an earned media value of €87m ($120m).
- In the fourth quarter of 2013 (after the campaign period) sales increased 24%.
“Volvo Trucks has exceeded our expectations and contributed to the Volvo brand increasing its market share in Europe to historically high levels.” – Olof Persson, President and CEO of Volvo Group.