Auto Industry Viral Video Earned Media

The auto industry has been in the forefront of earned media, which leverages the viral potential of the internet by creating super slick video features that attract millions of eyeballs who in turn forward, like, re-tweet and propagate the brand message.

Breaking new ground back in 2001, the late director Tony Scott did the acclaimed the BMW Film series “The Hire” and last year his brother Ridley Scott did the sensuously textured “Desire” series for the new Jaguar F-Type. Along the way action star Jason Statham did trick driving for Audi and “Bizarre Foods” host Andrew Zimmerman did a reality show for the Toyota Prius V.

In a just released TV ad which has gone stratospherically viral, martial arts movie star Jean Claude Van Damme does a prolonged split, straddling two Volvo Trucks driving side-by-side at highway speed. Volvo Trucks assures doubters that no CGI magic was involved.

The cool ruler of this genre is Vermont rally driver Ken Block and his Gymkhana 6 series in which he takes a 650bhp Ford Fiesta ST on the wildest ride ever filmed (see video below) — and a Ken Block is a YouTube exclusive!

This George Polgar of GT Marketing for KYW News Radio.