General Motors is capitalizing on its new “Elevate” campaign by introducing compatible video clips on a new Web site, as well as planting them on social networking sites in the hopes they will spread like wildfire.
The GM Web site debuted earlier this month as a viral component of the Elevate ad TV campaign, which broke Sept. 7 showing flying cars to promote its 100,000-mile Powertrain warranty as being above that of its competitors.
Clips viewed at the GM site have garnered 1 million impressions so far, and are expected to generate 3 million total impressions within two weeks, GM said. The three clips entitled Hollywood, Skateboarder and Vegas were also planted on video sharing sites such as YouTube.com, Google Video’s Web site, Ifilm.com, Metacafe.com and a slate of other popular video-sharing sites. For the most part, the clips feature everyday consumers minding their business when out of the blue, cars start flying by.
So far, the Hollywood clip has been viewed more than 16,000 times on YouTube.com. In it, a pair of tourists are videoing themselves outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood when one after another, the flying cars begin to appear, turning heads and the video shooter.
In Skateboarder, viewed more than 9,300 times at YouTube.com, a skateboarder shows off his skills in a park while being videotaped by his friend when the flying cars emerge. The sight causes a frenzy and everyone stops, gasps and points toward the sky in disbelief.
The clips were all created by Deutsch, Inc., Los Angeles, which also produced the TV spots for GM.
“The decision to put [the videos] out and let people discover it on their own seemed like the natural organic way to do it,” said Scott Lahde, a spokesperson for Deutsch, Inc.’s New York office. “When you start promoting things too heavily, people get annoyed that it is a promotion rather than something interesting.”
But, it seems that some users of social networks sites are interested in spreading their disdain for placed ads as opposed to virally spreading the ads themselves. In reference to the Skateboarder clip on YouTube, one viewer warned others: “It’s viral advertising. Most big companies know now that it’s cheap and very effective to plant stuff like this in large online communities with no explanation so that it’ll get spread around. They’re playing you for fools. Fools!!” Other critiques were less friendly and included expletives, while others have been more neutral or surprised by the content.
The majority of consumers “think it’s positive and appreciate that GM is trying to do something different to reach them in a unique, non-traditional way,” said Dan Keller, general director of marketing at GM. “That’s a part of the beauty of a viral campaign. Some people will get it, some will never find out. Some will think it’s humorous and forward thinking that a company like GM will do something like this.”
Planting video clips and other content on social networking sites is a growing practice by a number of marketers.
The viral component is a “relatively small element of our overarching campaign”, the Detroit-based automaker said (PROMO P&I Sept. 20, 2006).
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