The webisodes follow Robinson and his cast of wacky co-stars in his quest to become the heir to a retiring driving school extraordinaire. Robinson's character attempts to prove his value as a worthy driving instructor in a new Volvo, of course.
In addition to the 16 webisodes currently featured on the site, site visitors can check Craig's voicemail for messages from other site visitors and send messages to friends to encourage them to check out Craig's driving school.
Visitors can also play a mini-game and test their skills behind the virtual Volvo wheel on three courses with Robinson by their side. The game, which won a Summit International Award for Seattle-based creators Plexipixel, features quirky obstacles in the road, such as Robinson in a Bigfoot costume, a chicken and other roadside fowl.
-- Nanette Marcus, cover stories editor, iMedia Connection
With so many factors to consider when integrating your brand into online webisodes -- or deciding to create your own programming -- success metrics are hard to come by. What we continually hear is that entertaining, humorous content works best, and that's what MSN created for Volvo's integration with "Mr. Robinson's Driving School."
Creatively, the concept makes a whole lot of sense. A sitcom based around a driving school should be a no-brainer for automotive advertisers. The microsite feels very much like navigating a DVD -- chapters to pick from, extras and outtakes and info on the cast and crew provide plenty of content. And that content provides plenty of opportunities for Volvo brand exposure.
Unfortunately, Mr. Robinson's Driving School falls flat for me where it matters most -- the actual content. Lots of brands that are testing out content integration and branded entertainment miss the mark here. Just like television sitcoms, most pilots never get made, and most series get cancelled. Good writing is hard to come by, and putting together 16 funny episodes is a pretty significant challenge. And in my opinion, Mr. Robinson demonstrates just how hard it really is.
There's a lot of video to watch here, and if you think the storyline is funny, then you may feel differently about the campaign. Kudos to Volvo for taking the leap and exploring a new marketing vehicle. From an execution standpoint, MSN and Volvo did everything right. Volvo's branding outside of the content is subtle, and the brand is organically integrated into the content, so it doesn't feel forced or out of place. Hell, you need a car to have a driving school. The driving game was also executed flawlessly and the video looked great.
It all boils down to bang for your marketing buck, and I'm not sure that Volvo is going to get the ROI that looks great in case studies or validates a medium. Sixteen episodes are expensive to produce. Hopefully we'll see more advertisers continue to explore the branded entertainment. They'll just have to understand ahead of time that every script doesn't win an Emmy for Best Comedy.
-- Corey Kronengold, senior director, marketing and communications, Tremor Media
Enough time has passed that I can now admit something: I failed my driver's exam the first time I took it. Maybe I would have aced it, though, if I'd had an instructor like Mr. Robinson.
Craig Robinson, best known for his bit-player status as Daryl the warehouse manager on "The Office," plays… Craig Robinson, a good natured and dedicated driving school instructor. When Boyd Butler, the owner of the biggest driving school in Craig's town, decides to retire, he sets up an elaborate contest to determine who gets to take over his business. In 16 of the funniest webisodes I've seen in ages, Craig takes on the scheming "Swervin" Merv Lehrman (whose ineptitude as an instructor is topped only by his aptitude for being a slimeball) with his trusty ride Sheila, a brand new Volvo C30.
This construct makes for some great, humorous drivers ed-related video, complete with clowns, a high school prom, road-ragey students and the Amish (!). But more importantly, it creates a great opportunity to show off the sleek Volvo C30 and witness its features in action.
While the site is packed with a ton of amusing time wasters, there are also some targeted features that integrate the brand into the experience, and vice versa. For example, the Check Voicemail feature collects and plays audio footage of fans asking Craig for his driving advice. There's also the chance to play driving course-related minigames, win a Volvo C30 and leaf through a virtual Volvo brochure site, where prospective buyers can check out the C30 in greater detail.
Driving School's cohesive campaign kept me on the site for longer than most branded entertainment efforts do, and brought me back regularly to make sure I didn't miss any new content or new C30 information. Volvo definitely gets a license to drive brand interest with this effort.
-- Jodi Harris, managing editor, iMedia Connection