Do you remember the TV ad for the Toyota GT86? The one that starts in a virtual world where a pixelated character breaks free from his mundane life by driving a Toyota GT86 through a glass barrier and into the real world. Don’t worry if you didn’t see it as there is a good reason – it was banned. Two people complained that it ‘condoned dangerous driving’. Just two.
If an advert as inocuous as that can be removed from our television screens you can imagine how hard it must be to come up with an advert that can get a viewer excited about a car but without it showing anything that might be misconstrued by the vocal minority. Now car adverts are so strait-laced that you’d have to be certifiable to take offense. If they dare to show the car moving then it had better have one of those gentlemen waking in front of the car carrying a red flag, otherwise pens will be put to paper.
Volvo’s Commuter Hijack features a lot of the V40
Of course, there are other outputs to sell cars and one of those is to go social. The internet and social media have given advertisers the chance to try all sorts of new ideas. That’s exactly what Volvo are doing with their new ‘commuter hijack’ campaign. By using both Facebook and YouTube they’re hoping to generate a bit of a buzz with an innovative competition.
The idea is simple. Four lucky contestants have been given the chance to spend £5,000 to brighten up their day. There are some rules: you have to spend the money on consumables or experiences, not just walk into your nearest Apple store to stock up on their latest goodies. One of the contestants chose to play ice hockey, go for some food and buy lots of chocolate, another went skiing followed by a bit of surfing and then a flash mob.
The four hijacks will be shown on April 10th and then it’s up to you to help decide the winner. Just visit the Facebook page and cast a vote for your favourite of the four and you could help them to win a brand new Volvo V40, as well as giving yourself the chance to enjoy your own ‘commuter hijack’.
At this point you may be wondering what’s in it for Volvo? Well, I’m sure you noticed the bright blue V40 R-Design that features so prominently in the video? And on the Facebook page. And on the Youtube channel too, with links to videos that show more of the car. Makes you want one, doesn’t it?
