Taking Cadillac’s Video Series For A Ride

By now you might be aware that I’m a big fan of the web series. Instead of paying to create one long video, I often advocate producing a series of shorter videos instead.

There are plenty of companies out there doing this, and some of the bigger corporations are taking them to the next level. It’s great because they serve as good examples and provide good ideas for smaller companies.

Today, I’m featuring General Motors and its new web series for the Cadillac ATS. It’s a new model for the brand, so we get a bunch of videos at Cadillac’s YouTube Channel.

I love it! They basically put the car through the paces in different parts of the world. Patagonia, Morocco, Monaco, China… all with different environmental challenges to test the ATS.

That series on its own is pretty cool, but what’s amazing is that each location actually has its own series of videos. For example, Patagonia has a feature on the car, then there’s one on the making of that video, a story on a lighthouse where the Atlantic meets the Pacific, one on the region’s Grey Glacier, and finally a story on the indigenous tribe that lives there.

Some of the videos feature the car, some of them don’t. Sure, you get plenty of the car, but the video series is more about the adventure than the ATS. It’s all very fun, and again, serves as a great example for small business owners.

First, it demonstrates you don’t have to hit people over the head with your marketing message for them to “get” it. We’re a smart audience. We know it’s about the ATS. It’s the storytelling that keeps us watching, not an endless message about Cadillac.

Second, a series like this should get your creative juices flowing. Start thinking about your products and services in a different way. How are people using them? Feature them and their experiences instead of simply having company officials talk about facts and figures.

You don’t have to be GM. You don’t need to travel to different continents. All you need are good stories, and you can find those.

–Tony Gnau