B2B branded content marketing from Volvo

Volvos epic split video shocks and inspires by combining a well-known actor, a
remarkable stunt and a soothing sunset.
This is an excellent example of how branded content marketing can work for
B2B. Although Volvo Trucks has a core target audience of truckers, the video
appeals to everyone. The difference is that the wider audience thinks wow,
Jean-Claude Van Damme doing the splits whilst their core audience
thinks wow, how are those lorries able to drive in reverse like that?
The result was 70 million+ YouTube views and 8 million shares, making it
the most viewed automotive advert of all time, in addition to 20,000+
editorials and an earned media value of 126 million.
Volvos campaign featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme reached a viral spread of
6 million views in only two days. Two weeks later it got 56 million views.
Impressive! What was the key to this viral success, and can I as a B2B
marketer do the same? How expensive does a viral campaign need to be?
Following Volvos unprecedented success in spreading their video of Jean-Claude Van
Damme performing a split between two Volvo trucks going in reverse, most B2B
marketers start thinking, Can I do the same?
If you are one of the few people that still have not seen it, this is what we are talking
about:
- See more at: http://vendemore.com/go-viral-or-go-targeted/#sthash.GAdYLv2j.dpuf

Did Volvo just get lucky or what made this

viral campaign so successful?
Well, Swedish digital tactician Jesper strm wrote an excellent piece describing the key
elements essential to the campaigns viral success. One thing we can state is: no, they
did not only get lucky and you do need a substantial budget to achieve this 3-step
rocket viral success.
A 3-step rocket
In the first step highlighted by strm, the marketing manager needs to reach out with
the content to key opinion leaders. This often requires bought views and embedding,
which make this step quite costly. Most media networks need to see a budget of at least
5.000 Euros before even start making the calls to the relevant blog websites. The
second step is getting PR by creating a story about the story, which does not mean
telling the story that your are talking about in your content, but a story about how it is
spreading, how it was made, how it is packaged.

The Volvo video had several good stories, which is maybe the most important
key to their success:

Jean-Claude is 53 years old and he is doing the stunts (public pitch)

It is the first take shown on YouTube (media pitch)

There are ordinary truck drivers behind the wheels (industry pitch)

Only one safety line is edited away (for social media discussions)
To get interesting enough for the news websites you need around 100.000 views in
Sweden, or around a million views in the US, which adds to the cost. Telling the story
about your story also requires an interesting packaging, making it a pricey endeavor.
Third step is what happens afterwards, when people discuss how this could happen, like
this article for example. This buzz leads to more views, a more widely spread interest,
which in turn keeps the story alive

What is the option for us with a more limited

budget?
For most B2B marketing managers a viral campaign like this is too expensive. The cost
for broad viral distribution doesnt really pay off when the number of companies you
can sell to are very limited. Luckily, thanks to new digital technology, B2B marketing
managers can reach their target community, in a more efficient way.
Go viral or go targeted?
One way is to use Google Ads for Video ads, or buy seeding using Unruly/GoViral/BeOn.
Using targeted IP-driven advertising makes it possible to target content like videos and
articles etc. to your specific target group. You dont have to go viral and get 56 million
views to make sure your customers sees you. Instead you can make sure to target the
companies that you know have an interest in seeing your video and your article on
editorial sites. The fact that you know who the recipient is also allows you to customize
the content for the recipients needs. Maybe you already have made different videos
presenting your solution to different segments?
With IP targeted content ads you choose exactly which companies you want to see your
content and at what time, to affect the right decisions. You can customize the content
for your sales process, giving the right message at the right frequency with a 100 %
accuracy.
So while Volvos very well executed monster marketing and PR-project suited their
strategy and expense profile, a massive amount of views isnt necessarily the right path
for everyone, especially not B2B. We definitely think Jespers advice and Volvos
success is something we all get inspired by. And who wouldnt want 56 million views?

But for the B2B marketing manager with a limited target group and budget, the goal is
to find the most relevant communication channel that reaches that group, at a limited
cost.
- See more at: http://vendemore.com/go-viral-or-go-targeted/#sthash.GAdYLv2j.dpuf

Volvo Trucks knows how to go viral: Put in the

work
Every marketing department, whether B2B or B2C, wants to hit the jackpot by going viral.
They envision low-budget campaigns that hit that elusive sweet spot, bringing in huge
visibility for minimum investment. Volvo Trucks took a different tactic.
Rather than blindly guessing at what kind of stunt might get the public talking, Volvo set out
with a defined strategy it developed in conjunction with Swedish advertising agency
Forsman & Bodenfors. With a revamped line of trucks coming out in 2012, the company
knew it wanted to showcase its new and improved features in a way that would appeal to
more than just the core audience.
The result wasn't just one stunt, but six, doled out on YouTube over the course of more than
a year. The culmination of that effort was Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Epic Split," which is
currently approaching 70 million views and has its own t-shirt, proving that not all viral
campaigns are built overnight.
Take a look at how Volvo's "Live Stunt" campaign came together to methodically achieve
viral success.
The campaign kicked off in August 2012 with "The Ballerina Stunt," which was arguably
more impressive than Van Damme's split. Tightrope walker Faith Dickey was tasked with
traversing a highwire between two trucks before they finished hurtling toward a two-lane
tunnel. All to demonstrate the Volvo FH's precision steering, of course. Commercial trucks
appeal to a pretty niche market, but right from the start Volvo found a way to spread its
brand awareness well beyond its normal bounds to a much broader audience. "The
Ballerina Stunt" drew more than 9 million viewers, and it's doubtful they were all big-rig
enthusiasts.
The campaign's fourth outing in September went a good deal smaller with "The Hamster
Stunt," in which Volvo demonstrated its dynamic steering system by having a hamster steer
one of its trucks out of a quarry via a hamster wheel attached to the steering wheel. The
fourth effort demonstrated a huge aspect of Volvo's success with the Live Test campaign
its dedication to investing in high-quality production. The stunts the company performed

were big events, requiring loads of equipment in order to be pulled off successfully and
safely. If you're going to do all that you might as well spend the money on cameras that
make it look good.
It was Van Damme's contribution in November that really helped Volvo strike gold, though.
The action star stood on the side mirrors of two Volvo trucks as they slowly drove apart,
eventually performing a split between the two trucks to hold himself aloft. Once again, the
over-the-top performance reflected the stability of Volvo's dynamic steering. It wasn't just
engineers that were cheering, though, as the video drove the Internet crazy and earned the
marketing department more views than the rest of its "Live Test" videos combined.
It wasn't just on YouTube that Volvo cashed in. Its target audience of likely buyers was
relatively small, but the company encouraged conversation around the campaign with
anyone who was interested. The tone with which Volvo treated the campaign, not just the
short films themselves, helped establish the company as a cool brand that was willing to
take risks. That attitude even spawned a few "Epic Split" tributes and spoofs, including this
LEGO recreation. When the blockheads take notice, you know you've arrived.

With its latest commercial, The Epic Split, Volvo Trucks proves that an unconventional take on B2B
marketing works. The commercial has spread all over the world and is already after just four weeks the most
watched automotive commercial on Youtube ever.
Since the launch of The Epic Split' on Youtube on November 14, the commercial has been viewed more than 59
million times. It has spread through social media and news media, been the subject of thousands of conversations
online and offline and even become a phenomenon in itself, spurring spoofs from both celebrities and others.
"The response is quite overwhelming. Sure, we were hoping for a success, but we didn't expect it to be this big or
come this fast. After all, The Epic Split' is a truck commercial," says Per Nilsson, PR Director for the Volvo Trucks
brand.

Success in numbers
The Epic Split' has not only become the most viewed automotive commercial on Youtube ever. The response in the
first four weeks can be summarized in numbers.*
The Epic Split' and the story about it has:

been shared over 6 million times on social networks.

over 10 million impressions on Google.com.
received extensive media coverage from all over the world: the commercial has been the subject of
approximately 20,000 editorial pieces online so far.
an estimated earned media value of 70 million.
Outsmart - not outspend
Since Autumn 2012, Volvo Trucks has released six entertaining films to showcase innovations in the five new trucks
released during the same period. The Epic Split', a film that highlights the precision and stability of Volvo Dynamic
Steering, is the biggest success among the films so far.
"The reach is mainly a result of public engagement. We can't outspend our competitors. Instead, we need to outsmart
them. Our communication strategy is one part of that," says Per Nilsson.
B2C marketing of a B2B product
The communication strategy itself is part of a larger shift in how Volvo Trucks market their products to a wider
audience. Simply put, it is B2C marketing of B2B products.
"Our marketing strategy is based on the insight that also in B2B, individuals make the decisions. Today's trucks are
high tech machines, designed to ease the driver's work, safeguard driver, load and surroundings and be as profitable
as possible. But for the drivers and hauliers, it is not only factors like these that affect their choices, but also the
image of the truck they are driving," says Per Nilsson.
Cost efficient
Marketing material that has an impact on everyone, will also reach more truck drivers and hauliers, Volvo Trucks
resonates. And it works.
"Our own customers refer to these films. But it goes even further - hauliers using our trucks get comments from their
customers - transport buyers - about the films," Per Nilsson says.
"Our ambition is that the engagement the film has spurred will drive awareness and demand for our trucks. Through a
relatively small media investment, we've got a massive response. Our strategy has proven to be a very smart and
cost efficient way to communicate utilizing the new media landscape," says Per Nilsson.

Volvo more confident as marketing

strategy to end car deaths by 2020
boosts engagement scores
The brand vision of Volvo Cars to ensure nobody is killed or seriously injured
in, or by, one of its new cars by 2020 has already made a major impact on

brand engagement levels, according to its VP of global marketing Thomas

Andersson.
Earlier this month as part of the new vision, Volvo launched an emotive ad (above)
that showed images of people in car crashes as a young girl says it seems as though
car brands produce vehicles for racing tracks instead of city streets.
And as part of this ongoing strategy, its newer models such as the Volvo XC90 feature
run-off road protection technology in their seating and automatic braking if the driver
turns in front of an oncoming car.
Volvo has also extended its safety-focussed product portfolio beyond cars, a move
Andersson says will only accelerate in 2016. Last year, the Swedish car marque
Volvo introduced its own high-visibility innovation for people riding bicycles: a waterbased spray-on reflective paint called LifePaint, that shows up on clothing at night to
prevent cycling deaths and injuries from cars.
Andersson told Marketing Week: This 2020 vision is a really strong brand purpose for
Volvo and perhaps one that wouldnt have been possible three years ago when we
werent as confident in our marketing.
We want to have a strong social message as if we just went down the same old route
as our rivals [with celebrity campaigns] we would just be one of many, we wouldnt
be adding anything new. I believe the public want brands to stand for something
important.

Safety focus improves brand loyalty

Last year, Volvo announced bold changes to re-imagine how children can travel safely
in its cars. Its XC90 model enables parents to swivel a child counter-clockwise when
seating them and then lock the seat in a rearward facing position.
The changes have already had a huge impact on brand engagement levels despite
little spend on marketing, according to Andersson.
He added: Its an excellent concept and means parents dont have to bend over
backwards fitting child seats as a safer one is already built into their car.

We put very little paid media behind this announcement, just social, and we had
three million views and a 14% engagement score. By that I mean that 14% of those
who watched the ad about the child seat took action and interacted with the
campaign or bought one of our cars. On average the score is only 5% so I think that
shows this renewed safety message is making a major impression.

Joining up PR and marketing

As part of its five-year safety strategy, Volvo has also made big changes to its
marketing department.
It named Forsman & Bodenfors as its global strategic creative agency in December
while it has also made moves to align its PR and marketing divisions.
Andersson explained: We now have PR and marketing joined by the hip. We want to
maximise the reveal events that historically were driven by PR messaging and make
sure we amplify and extend those messages through our marketing team.
Social plays such an important role when it comes to early adopters. They want to
engage with Volvo but if we dont respond quickly they will lose interest and move on.
Theres a huge opportunity for us to engage more quickly and be there when people
want to talk to us, and these changes enable that to happen.
He said Volvo will continue to launch new models in 2016 and support its recently
announced flagship V90 sedan in its advertising, which, aside from a focus on safety,
has also recently integrated Swedish DJ Avicii.

Adopting mixed reality

Earlier this week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg told Barcelonas Mobile World
Congress that VR will become the next major platform. And Andersson says it
will play a big part in Volvos future.
However, he is more an advocate of mixed reality, which merges VR with the real
world, than traditional VR.
He concluded: We recently launched one of our cars with Microsoft to a select
number of journalists through virtual reality and it was a huge success so its
definitely something we want to explore more as the technology grows.

The advantage to mixed reality is you can freely move around our dealerships and be
accompanied by a sales person to change the shape of the car, get its story and go
under the hood. It has more potential for us than traditional VR as thats more about
building entirely new worlds.
Theres no question about it: email is the foundation of successful B2B marketing
strategies.
In 2012, BtoB Magazine reported that 59% of B2B marketers rank email as the #1 tactic
for generating revenue and predicted that in 2013 spending on email by B2B
marketers would increase 65%. A big reason more B2B marketing budget is flowing to
permission-based email is that 57% of marketers say email newsletters are their most
effective tool for lead nurturing. (Source: MarketingSherpa 2013 Email Marketing
Benchmark Report)
B2B Email Marketing at its Best
One brand that, in my opinion, is a best-in-class example of B2B email marketing
is Volvo Construction Equipment of North America. And thats why I chose to feature
them in this months edition of Email Marketing by the Book.
This marketing team has done a terrific job using email to generate and nurture leads
from current and prospective customers, keep dealers informed and up to date, and
improve marketing automation ROI. In short, Volvos email newsletters are the
workhorse channel in a very well-designed and effectively integrated multi-channel
strategy that also includes social media, websites, and trade shows, as well as their own
magazine.
And it works! Each year, Volvos digital marketing strategy helps its dealers sell millions
of dollars worth of new and used machines
When John Johnston, Director of Digital Marketing, began his journey at Volvo Construction, he knew
things had to be completely rebuilt, starting with the website and branching out into everything else.
In this excerpt of a full video session from B2B Summit 2012, see how customer service topped the
list for Volvo Construction when it began an overhaul on digital marketing, where email would bring
customers to the website, and the website would convert them.

First, Volvo Construction created a website that acted as a useful and current resource for customers
and dealers. Johnston wanted the website to be the ultimate guide for the visitor, so they could find
everything they needed, including its social media posts, without leaving the site.
4:21 Subsequently, Johnstons team structured digital marketing around the website so that PPC, SEO
and email would attract customers and the website would be helpful enough for them to stay.

5:33 He also decided that email is how they would primarily drive traffic to the website.
Crafting the email to serve customer needs was vital to this plan. Since customer needs vary so
greatly, Johnstons team needed to make sure the content changes, to match customer needs and.
The emails also needed to contain dynamic content and interactive functionality the customers
appreciated, as well as the analytics that the company could use.

Why do some B2B brands struggle with their online image? The problem with social
media and blogging is that its been seen as the reserve of teenagers, and not
taken seriously until around 10 years ago. Generally speaking, its the older and
more traditional B2B firms that are the slowest to adjust to the new climate of
marketing.

With the internet democratizing the business landscape, corporations are in

trouble. If they dont get down with the kids, theyll drift under the radar and lose
business to cutting-edge startups who actually need to use smart tactics to be
seen.

Do you think B2B companies just arent as outwardly exciting as B2Cs? Here are
some brands setting the hottest B2B marketing trends, out to prove you wrong.

Volvo s online presence has always been strong, and their marketing team has
come up with some innovative campaigns in the past. The shot below is from a
customer storytelling campaign that links Volvo cars with their drivers in a way that
nails Volvos picture of ideal customers. However, when it comes to B2B
marketing, Volvos viral campaign in 2012 is one of the most famous and effective
examples of content marketing in the sphere.
Regardless of how cool you think it is that Volvo got Jean-Claude Van Damme to
do the splits between 2 moving trucks, you cant argue with the fact that around
half of commercial truck buyers and owners would be more likely to choose Volvo
when they next purchase a truck.

According to Volvo in 2013, the video had:

Over 6 million social shares

Over 10 million impressions on Google.com

Extensive media coverage from all over the world: the commercial has been
the subject of approximately 20,000 editorial pieces online so far

Estimated earned media value of 70 million

Volvos viral video is a perfect example of B2B brands rocking the format and
appealing to the right crowd. The overall message of the video is that Volvo trucks
are so stable they wont rip JCVDs pants at the crotch.

The new Volvo Trucks ad is - to my mind - the best B2B video ever produced.
And, with, 22,961,537 views (and counting) to date since its debut four days
ago, popular opinion suggests I might not be alone.
The Swedish automotive manufacturer, once maligned as a safe and boring
option, has managed to bring together the most unlikely of trinities (trucks,
Jean Claude Van Damme and Enya) to produce a B2B advert that has
captured the imagination of lorry buyers and the general public at large.
Admittedly Volvo has the advantage of being a brand people on the high street
already know, but it proves that with a little thought and the right execution
B2B advertising can easily earn its place right at the top of the virility lists.
Since I started writing this short blog about five minutes ago 18 new
comments have been added to the YouTube page (making a total of almost
36,000 comments): there cant be many B2B videos able to claim such
widespread relevance. Well done, Volvo.

I'd be interested to hear if you have any B2B videos you think can go toe-totoe with Jean Claude and his massive trucks...