SEOUL, KOREA - Volvo Trucks’ six live test films for its new series of trucks, including the viral hit The Epic Split, have been viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube. On April 9 it was time for the jury in the advertising competition the Art Directors Club Awards to pick the most creative advertising campaigns. The Volvo Trucks campaign was nominated in an impressive fifteen categories and won seven gold awards.
“For us it is a great honour because it means that the Art Directors Club, which represents some of the world's foremost experts in advertising, regards Volvo Trucks’ marketing as the best in the world,” says Per Nilsson, Director Public Relations at Volvo Trucks.
In addition to winning the most awards in the competition overall, the Volvo Trucks campaign was also awarded the Black Cube, which is the competition’s Grand Prix title. The award is only given to nominations exhibiting high enough creative quality. The last time the prize was awarded was in 2011. In order for a nominee to be awarded a Black Cube the jury must be unanimous. What particularly impressed the ADC jury was that Volvo Trucks’ campaign succeeded in reaching a wide audience.
“When surveyed, nearly half of the truck buyers who have seen the live test films indicate that they would be more likely to choose a Volvo the next time they buy a new truck. For us this is another strong sign that the campaign has been successful,” says Per Nilsson.
The other prestigious award that went to Volvo Trucks was Client of the Year, an award given to the client that wins the most prizes across all competition categories.
Facts about the launch campaign:
–In total, six live test films were distributed as part of the campaign: The Ballerina Stunt, The Hook, The Technician, The Hamster Stunt, The Chase and The Epic Split.
–The videos demonstrate the innovative features of the truck series in a spectacular way.
–The videos have only been released on YouTube.
The ad campaign’s reach:
From June 2012 to March 2014:
– The number of followers on Facebook has increased from 16,000 to 330,000.
– On YouTube, the number of subscribers increased from 3,500 to 90,000.
– The number of unique visits to Volvo Trucks' websites in Europe has doubled from just over 175,000 to 350,000 per month.
– The videos have more than 100 million views on YouTube and have been shared nearly 8 million times.
– There have been over 20,000 reports about the videos in the media worldwide.
– It is estimated that this degree of publicity represents 126 million euros (172.6 million USD) in earned media value.
– According to a survey, almost half of the truck buyers who have seen the launch videos say that it is now more likely that they would choose Volvo the next time they purchase a truck.
Awards given to Volvo Trucks in the 2014 Art Directors Club Awards:
– Black Cube
– Client of the Year
– Seven gold awards, two silver awards and four bronze awards.
About the Art Directors Club Awards:
One of the most prestigious advertising competitions in the United States. Awarded annually by the New York-based organisation The Art Directors Club. The award, handed out during the ADC Festival in Miami, has been in existence since 1921. This year the awards ceremony took place on April 9, 2014.
