Might this be the ultimate product demo? It’s right up there. Epic Split is the sixth in a series of films called Live Tests that Forsman devised for Volvo Trucks to show the features of their trucks. This is the only one that everybody remembers … no doubt including its hero, none other than Jean-Claude van Damme.
Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors, Gothenburg
Art Direction: Anders Eklind, Jerry Wass, Sophia Lindholm
Copywriter: Bjorn Engstrom, Martin Ringqvist
Production Company: Folke Film
Director: Andreas Nilsson
"It taps into pop culture and becomes pop culture itself. All of a sudden you want to make and look at truck advertisements. It proves any brand or product can be highly entertaining – even a truck demo."
- Claudia Illan, Copywriter, Marcel Paris
The “muscles from Brussels” was cast to do the splits while standing on the wing mirrors of two articulated trucks that were travelling backwards at around 14mph. It goes on for 75 seconds and it’s a thing of strange beauty. And the point of it? This was explained in the superimposed end line: “This test was set up to demonstrate the stability and precision of Volvo Dynamic Steering.” It really does do the job and it worked for the client, as a lot more trucks were sold. OK, JeanClaude had a hidden safety harness and, yes, the road is a super-smooth runway in Spain. But really, it’s wild. And there’s one more line when it fades to black, advising: “It was carried out by professionals in a closed off area.” How thoughtful. Don’t try this on your local highway.
"I could watch it endlessly, and every time, I still think — what the heck just happened?"
- Santiago Luna Lupo, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Springtime, Buenos Aires
