-What people do in the relative privacy of their cars can run the gamut from the sad and shocking to the dangerous and desperate, including but not limited to changing their outfits (while driving), eating entire meals, sobbing uncontrollably and losing their virginity. But will they admit their commuter transgressions to the world?
Apparently they will, if you catch them in a brutally honest mood and ask the right probing questions. In-house creatives at TrueCar found that out when they experimented with person-on-the-street interviews, which became a social media series called “TrueCarfessions.”
Among the disclosures: “I once drove naked from L.A. to San Diego on a dare. I was never caught,” “I cried in my car yesterday,” and “My first time was in a car.” And was it magical? “No, it wasn’t.”
Consumer response to that original content was so strong that it surprised the brand: engagement rates on YouTube alone were 5 times the average, with watch rates “absolutely destroying it” with 72% versus the average 3%, per Allison Mac, the brand’s vice president of brand marketing.
With that data as a guide, TrueCar used the footage as a springboard to continue the theme with a new paid campaign under the tagline, “It’s More Than a Car.”
The work—shot in Los Angeles neighborhoods like Silverlake, Runyon Canyon, Abbot Kinney and the Venice boardwalk—will air on connected TV, YouTube, social and digital. It’s intended to be a fly-on-the-wall peek at driver behavior, some more relatable than others, but not just for its prurient value. It emphasizes the TrueCar message, “We’re obsessed with transparency.” – T.L. Stanley
– Uber is putting its $600 million media business into review, which could lead to another GroupM client leaving the agency.
– As part of our agency C-Suite series, Kyle O’Brien took a look at why agencies employ a chief technology officer.