MAKING A POINT ON YOUTUBE

Call it the Power of YouTube. Land Rover recently launched the "Sword Collector" commercial via YouTube and it's gotten quite the response. While we're not planning on selling "Not the Daggers!" t‑shirts yet, we do realize the power of viral video in the age of mass media consumption, writes Finbar McFall, Vice President, Marketing, Land Rover North America.

It's all we hear in the office. Walk towards a colleague's desk and they'll look up and say "Not the Daggers!" Step into the elevator. "Not the Daggers!"

In the video for the 2010 LR4, a manager has to tell a worker that he needs to remove the extensive, and rather scary‑looking, collection of samurai swords he has on display in his office.

To break the news, he walks him down to the garage, climbs into a new LR4, cranks the window and tells him the swords have to go. To which the worker replies: "Not the Daggers!"

The spot is intended to be a little bit of fun; something you can have a laugh at; something you'll hopefully mention to you friends. Something that will leave you with the clear message that you'll always feel safe and secure inside a Land Rover. The last time I looked, it had received over 25,000 hits.

One of the many reasons I love it ‑ apart from the perfect casting of the actors ‑ is that it's so different from our normal advertising, which rightly tends to be very rational and focused on our key messaging. This is Land Rover, for 48 seconds, not taking itself too seriously.

We created it especially for YouTube as a bit of an experiment. And, of course, if it turns out to be a huge success, we might consider doing a follow‑up, or even turning it into a series.

With a great catch line like "Not the Daggers!" we just know viewers will get the point.