The ask

Vredestein, the 111-year-old European tire company, had set its sights on North America. A new look, new rubber and some seriously impressive performance numbers were all on their side. The problem? The only people who knew their name stateside were classic European car aficionados. We needed to break into the mainstream with a splash.

the answer

Set the table for a legendary brand story at a legendary track, then serve it up with fun.

Famed automotive journalist Jonny Lieberman tears around the track at Willow Springs, sampling Vredestein’s new ultra-high performance rubber in vehicles ranging from a Jaguar F-Type to a Porsche Cayenne SUV and Tesla Model S. As he pushes each car to it’s limit, Jonny shares his impressions and fills us in on Vredestein’s storied European roots in racing and grand tour.

Motortrend Studio went all out in support, with a targeted blitz of branded video content, social and digital, including a custom landing page hosted on motortrend.com.

my role

I wrote and creative directed the centerpiece of the campaign, Jonny Lieberman’s drive and presentation at Willow Springs — helping invent a new video format for MotorTrend content in the process.

result

The video established a new format for Motortrend Studios: editorial branded content with an aspirational, adventurous, seat-of-your-pants feel. Jonny’s performance was used throughout the broader campaign, including Native Article Page, Brand Display Ads, Video Headlines, and Pre-roll.

Final Numbers: 4.3M+ Program Impressions. 758K Social Media Impressions. 67K Social Engagements. 1.1M+ Branded Content Video Views.