Campaigns · Global · 2013
Volvo Trucks: The Epic Split
Jean-Claude Van Damme did the splits between two reversing trucks to prove a steering feature.
By Maer Media editorial teamPublished 4 October 20263 min readForsman & BodenforsCampaigns · Content & Social
- Brand
- Volvo Trucks
- Market
- Global
- Year
- 2013
- Category
- Campaigns
- Agency or team
- Forsman & Bodenfors
- Channels
- YouTube, PR
The context
Volvo Trucks sells to fleet buyers, a small B2B audience that is hard to excite with technical specifications like dynamic steering precision.
B2B buyers are people who also watch online video.
The move
Forsman & Bodenfors made the “Live Test” series, real demonstrations of product features. In the most famous, Van Damme balanced between two trucks reversing in perfect parallel, in a single shot at sunrise.
How it was executed
- Created a series of live product tests.
- Filmed the split in one take at sunrise.
- Released it online and let PR spread it.
Jean-Claude Van Damme did the splits between two reversing trucks to prove a steering feature.
What happened Reported facts
The film passed 100 million YouTube views and won Grand Prix honours at Cannes Lions 2014. Volvo reported strong interest from truck buyers, proving B2B work can reach a mass audience and still sell to specialists.
Why it worked Maer’s analysis
Spectacle demonstrated a technical feature, and mass awareness influenced the specialist buyers.
What to take from it Maer’s analysis
- 01B2B buyers are people, too.
- 02Demonstrate a feature so dramatically that it becomes entertainment.
- 03A series format turns one hit into a platform.
Indian B2B brands in tractors, machinery or SaaS can turn features into demonstrations that a general audience enjoys.
Where Maer applies this
The same thinking runs through these brand templates:
Sources: Volvo Trucks; Forsman & Bodenfors; Cannes Lions 2014. Figures are as publicly reported; Maer Media was not involved in this work and is not affiliated with Volvo Trucks.
The Maer Media editorial team studies how brands are built, from positioning and packaging to launches and growth. Figures in each case study come from the public sources listed above; the analysis and the India notes are our own. More about Maer
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