Do you want to see the new Volvo performing in the elk test? Or how Volvo’s “green” C30 racing car performs in the Gothenburg City Race in the Swedish Touring Car Championship? Simply log in to YouTube.
In response to the phenomenal growth of film and video communication on the internet, the Volvo Car Corporation has launched its own YouTube channel.
“The general media power shift we are seeing today is making it more and more essential to get our message across to all of the people with an interest in our cars – you could call them publicists – who pass it on to others in turn, via their blogs and online communities,” says Peter Ganjbar, manager, public affairs working with new online channels at the Volvo Car Corporation.
“We are also seeing the world’s major media groups forging links with new forums on the internet to maintain the flow of traffic to their sites. This is a very interesting development for customers, dealers and everyone else with an interest in Volvo Cars,” says Ganjbar.
There has been a sea-change in the way that people “consume” televisual media since the breakthrough of YouTube only two or so years ago. Using YouTube as a strategic communication partner was the obvious next move in adapting to true globalisation – a world in which speed and simplicity can easily get a step ahead of quality. Here you find amateurs, professional TV productions and commercials all in cheerful coexistence. The phenomenon has made many companies and organisations think very hard about the way they should approach a seemingly chaotic media landscape.
“Viewers are never fooled. It is important to say who you are. YouTube is, in effect, a ‘self-policing’ medium. So we will be making it perfectly clear that everything published on ‘Volvo Cars News’ is official and authentic material, produced by the Volvo Car Corporation,” says Ganjbar.
The “Volvo Cars News” channel will carry everything from commercials and PR productions to television documentary material. The aim is to offer visitors worthwhile, enjoyable films about the latest products, and also to take them behind the scenes at Volvo Cars.
“And we will definitely be carrying breaking news here too,” says Ganjbar.
Among the material on Volvo Cars YouTube channel are video clips showing the XC60 going through the “elk test” at the hands of a test driver; the Gothenburg City Race featuring, among others, Volvo’s C30 that is racing in the Swedish Touring Car Championships with bio-ethanol fuel; and a unique Volvo XC60 advertisement.
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You can find Volvo Cars News on YouTube at www.youtube.com/volvocarsnews
