As part of its hugely successful ‘Volvo Trucks’ stunt series on YouTube, the Swedish auto maker hired the ‘Muscles from Brussels’ himself- Jean Claude Van Damme- to perform an eye-watering stunt between two moving heavy vehicles. The new advert, which aims to promote Volvo Trucks’ new dynamic steering system and has become a YouTube hit, garnering over 25m views since its launch.
Brand: Volvo | Sector: Automotive | Country: Globa l| Objective: brand awareness, consideration and purchase | Format: Video, YouTube
Volvo has been running a new series on YouTube to promote its Truck range all year, with previous death-defying entries featuring a bull run in Spain and the company CEO Claes Nilsson standing on a truck dangling from a crane by just its front hook.
The Belgian actor begins the ad by saying : ‘I’ve had my ups and downs… My fair share of bumpy roads and heavy winds. That’s what made me what I am today. Now I stand here before you. What you see is a body crafted to perfection. A pair of legs engineered to defy the laws of physics and a mindset to master the most epic of splits.”
Van Damme’s feet were placed on a small platform that was built on the side mirrors of the trucks.
Anders Vilhelmsson, public relations manager for the Volvo Trucks brand, insisted that it was a 100 per cent real.
He told the Wall Street Journal: ‘The stunt is real and is performed in just one take. It’s a daring stunt but we had full control. There was never any real danger involved.’
Van Damme reportedly did use safety equipment during the shoot which took place at a closed-off airstrip in Spain.
The stunt had to be completed within just 15 minutes after 8am on the day when the sunlight was just right.
Director Andreas Nilsson said: ‘The film you see is the first take. But obviously we had tons of rehearsals. The tension was really high. I saw a tough stunt coordinator well up after we nailed it. That might actually be the nicest memory from the shoot.’
