• by Tanya Gazdik , September 5, 2017

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.— While the most prized collector cars in the world may be center stage at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a handful of other brands bask in their own limelight, thanks to TEN: The Enthusiast Network.

The transmedia network of enthusiast brands including Motor Trend and Automobile uses its multi-fold automotive media platform to its advantage during all of the events of the week, including Monterey Car Week.  Separate livestreams of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance competition and Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion gives brands like Michelin, Mothers, Alfa Romeo and Infiniti a multitude of marketing opportunities.

“What is unique about our offering is really two-fold,” said Scott Dickey, TEN CEO. “By virtue of delivering an enthusiast audience, we deliver much greater levels of engagement given the inherent interest in the content. 

Second, in addition to the high engagement metrics, we deliver that audience at scale through every distribution platform including social, digital, video, OTT, print and live events.”

The livestream hosts — including TEN’s International Bureau Chief Angus MacKenzie, American motorsports announcer Bob Varsha, and British race car driver and veteran broadcaster Alain de Cadenet — provide a unique mix of expert commentary, Dickey adds.  

Working with TEN helps Michelin amplify and share the excitement that is Monterey Car Week, said Jordan Bertrand, Michelin North America media manager.

“While we have several great activations throughout the week, such as Legends of Autobahn, Porsche WERKS reunion, The Rolex Motorsports Reunion and Exotics on Cannery Row, we know not every automotive fan is able to make it out to the peninsula so TEN helps us reach a much larger qualified audience through live feeds and social media,” Bertrand says. 

Monterey Car Week continues to grow in size, scope and prestige, she adds. 

“It is exciting to collaborate with the leading innovators in the industry to create up-close-and-personal experiences that capture the imaginations of driving enthusiasts everywhere,” Bertrand says. “We look forward to this week as an opportunity to build strong and meaningful relationships with those who share our passions.”

Motor Trend Editor Social Media Editor Christopher Bacarella and his team were in overdrive all week filming for Facebook Live and Instagram Stories for the brands as well as interviews that would be interspersed in the livestreams.  

“We try to make it feel as organic as possible,” Bacarella says. 

Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief Edward Loh interviewed executives from several of the brands. Both Loh and Justin Bell, a racecar driver and the host of Motor Trend's World's Fastest Car Show, “do a great job of connecting with our target consumers in a genuine way,” Bertrand adds.

TEN’s efforts for Infiniti at Pebble Beach included a pavilion on the grounds of Pebble Beach offering ride and drives and other exposure to the brand’s technology and a concept vehicle.

“The events of Pebble Beach Auto Week draw thousands of auto enthusiasts and industry leaders together for a premium experience,” says Phil O’Connor, director, Infiniti USA marketing communications and media. “Infiniti and TEN work together to create an opportunity for those enthusiasts -- as well as the general consumer who attends -- to have an immersive experience with the Infiniti brand and models. “

The brand’s activations are focused on helping the driver understand and experience the breath of what the automaker has to offer to the luxury consumer, he says, adding that TEN has been a partner in the Inifiniti Pebble Beach Auto Week activations for the past four years.  

TEN also assisted Infiniti in hosting an exhibit at the Quail, an exclusive pre-Concours social event and car competition that attracts a very elite audience with tickets starting at $600. The brand showed off its Project Black S Concept and a Q60 coupe along with giving away ice cream treats to passersby.

“We believe that once consumers have an opportunity to experience that technology in action through activations like our ride and drive experience at the Infiniti Pavilion, that it helps increase opinion and other consideration of the brand,” O’Connor says.