Under the guise of auditioning for a reality show to encourage candid behavior, we recorded teens driving the Chevrolet Malibu around the challenging Los Angeles area. We then recorded them viewing the driving footage, and their resulting report card, with their parents. As the parents react naturally to their kids’ driving habits, the teens admit that the new feature will encourage them to drive more mindfully. In a surprise twist ending, the parents — who also got to drive the new Malibu — were shown their own video in front of their parents. The results were quite entertaining.

The resulting video, "Generations," used the Chevrolet brand’s "Real People, Not Actors" campaign approach to illustrate the effectiveness of this new safety technology — and to demonstrate that not only does Teen Driver give parents a window into their child’s driving habits, but it opens a door for families to discuss best (and

The Today Show caught wind of Chevrolet Teen Driver technology and wanted to include the feature in a segment about teen driver safety scheduled to air on August 23, 2016. This provided a high-impact, high-reach platform to which we could align the launch of “Generations.”

A press release featuring “Generations” was issued as the Today Show story broke, and the video and accompanying short form digital assets were launched via a YouTube homepage takeover. We partnered with major automotive sites to pick up the story and video and posted both to Chevrolet-owned social media pages for additional reach.

The August 23, 2016, press release announcing Chevrolet Teen Driver technology on the Malibu and featuring the “Generations” video garnered 266 print and digital stories, with an estimated earned reach of 1.2 million across consumer, Spanish-language and auto outlets, and 22 broadcast stories with an estimated 4.6 million viewers.  

The concurrent YouTube homepage takeover amassed a total reach across all screens of 267 million impressions, received 2.8 million clicks and 77.8 million unique cookies. YouTube channel engagement spiked, prompting 2.4 million video views, and 9,848 new subscribers were gained on the Chevrolet-owned YouTube channel – a feat that would have taken 122 days to achieve on a non-takeover day.

Breaking this down further, the “Generations” launch achieved 217 million impressions and 450,000 video completes on mobile – an important platform on which to reach younger viewers. Desktop reached close to 49 million impressions and 475,000 brand exposure hours in one day – this is the highest brand exposure from a desktop homepage takeover ever.

The timely launch of Chevrolet Teen Driver technology accomplished its goal, generating unprecedented awareness of the serious issue of teen driver safety. And the “Generations” video connected with parents and teens on an approachable and relatable level that made teen driving feel a lot less scary.