Frank Palmer guns a 2014 Porsche Cayman S along a Vancouver highway as Tom Gierasimczuk grins from the passenger seat, either in sheer joy or sheer panic.
The scene is the result of a partnership between BC Business magazine and the Dilwari Group that has Gierasimczuk, vice-president editorial at Canada Wide Media and editor-in-chief of BC Business, interviewing CEOs inside a luxury car provided by Dilwari.
“The Dilwari Group has a series of high-end car dealerships throughout Vancouver and they came to us asking us to help connect them with the BC Business audience,” said Gierasimiczuk, former editor of Marketing magazine. “Dilwari wanted [to connect with] people who could drop $75,000 plus for their next car.”
Gierasimczuk said the idea came out of Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee web series. In the first video, Gierasimczuk interviews Palmer, chair and CEO of DDB Canada, about the ad industry.
“It was an opportunity for Frank to drive a really great hot car,” said Gierasimczuk. “He’s a real car guy.”
Palmer, obviously comfortable behind the wheel, chats about competition in the industry, the importance of award shows, and what he says is the biggest problem in the industry today – procurement officers, which he says are killing the business.
Tanis Sullivan, regional marketing manager for the Dilwari Group, said the company is testing three spots. Dilwari sees video as a way to connect with their target market of high-income-earning, senior-level business leaders and entrepreneurs.
“We see this more as a brand building exercise rather than a tactical-type marketing platform,” said Sullivan.
The Dilwari Group’s high-end dealerships include Porsche, Audi, Mercedes Benz, Infinity and Range Rover.
“We have a long-standing relationship with BC Business and this is a new opportunity to delve into a different medium through the video concept,” she said. “We are always looking for ways to add more online and unique creative content.”
The videos will be distributed through the BC Business website, an iPad app and through Dilwari’s e-newsletter and social media sites.
“Ultimately, the content has to be interesting,” said Gierasimczuk. “Yes, it’s an ad so to speak, but it’s very much a partnership… Companies are really being pushed and challenged by marketers to come up with innovative and creative solutions.”
Gierasimczuk said the video is part of an integrated package and estimates that the cost for the video is about 50% over the price of a print ad.
