With 100 hours of video uploaded every minute to YouTube, there is a literal flood of content hitting the web every day, on a global scale. As far as branded content goes, there are many brands out there that are able to buy space on platforms but few are able to earn credibility in the mind of the consumer. In the US, which accounts for 20% of global YouTube traffic, the stakes are even higher. Added to the overwhelming amount of content is the fact that more consumers are clicking past ads or using ad-blocking software – anything to bypass the content they don’t want.

So in order for branded entertainment to succeed and be shared, brands need to reverse the polarity – to become magnetic instead of forcing their way in front of consumers. Brands not only need to create compelling stories, but must do so in a way that transcends traditional advertising, and feels authentic and conversational, versus one-directional.

Instead of making the journey home through the streets of NYC in a taxi – an experience that does not legally require a car seat – the three families participating in Mitsubishi Motors’ “First Ride” event opted for a ride home from the hospital with their newborns in a fully-equipped 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander – an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) highest-rated “Top Safety Pick+” vehicle piloted by professional drivers. Their personal stories became a series of web films that contrast the craziness of the streets of NYC with the calm, precious moments shared between three newborns and their parents.

Mitsubishi was never in the conversation about safety, suddenly they were leading it. Having just launched beginning of April 2014:

130 news outlets picked up the story

63% increase in YouTube engagement

42% growth of social channels