• by Tanya Gazdik , September 7, 2017

Prestone is sponsoring a show that focuses on the people and performance vehicles that brave the world’s most extreme racing conditions. 

“Defying the Elements,” presented by Prestone and developed by TEN: The Enthusiast Network, is a special installment of Motor Trend Presents. It debuted Sept. 1 on Motor Trend OnDemand and the Motor Trend YouTube channel. The show will take viewers inside the "fire and ice" of extreme weather racing. TEN developed the creative concept for Prestone to demonstrate how racers of all kinds rely on the superior performance of Prestone products. Irvine, Calif.-based content and media agency Scheifer Chopshop participated in the development of the concept, media briefing efforts, and packaging of the series.

The program is aimed at influential car, truck, motorcycle, and snowmobile enthusiasts, which “Prestone has always valued for building brand awareness and allegiance,” says Randy Fisher, vice president of marketing at Prestone.

“Branded video content works well for us as it travels well across platforms,” Fisher tells Marketing Daily. “In this case, we were able to create an entertaining, but informative piece of branded content and set it free across multiple platforms of distribution aimed at the audience that we wanted to engage with. We also have an added benefit when collaborating with a brand like Motor Trend as it lends additional third-party credibility to the audience that we are targeting.”

“Defying the Elements” reveals the careful preparation that goes into tackling extremely harsh conditions, from the hours spent meticulously studding each motorcycle tire by hand, to the specialized full-body gear used to protect against both impacts and frostbite.

 The 15-minute show features the drivers drawn to extreme racing conditions ranging from the 107-degree deserts of California to the -8-degree ice tracks of Alaska. 

In Glamis, Calif., the show follows one of the adrenaline junkies who gather from across the country to defy towering sand dunes in their customized sand rails, trucks and four-wheelers, while subjecting themselves and their machines to blistering triple-digit temperatures. At the frozen lakes of Alaska, an equally extreme form of racing attracts speed freaks from near and far. There, atop huge expanses of ice, they race snowmobiles, cars and motorcycles at full throttle, hitting triple digit speeds while withstanding sub-zero temperatures—all in the pursuit of their racing passion.

Prestone receives organic visibility as the drivers top off fluids—whether it be water, fuel or Prestone coolant—before heading out for a session under the brutal weather conditions.

The show will receive full social promotion across TEN’s relevant properties, including video cut downs and full-length video posts to the Facebook and Instagram channels of Motor Trend, Automobile, Hot Rod, Four Wheeler, 4Wheel & Off-Road and Truckin’. This is the first cross-platform custom initiative with Prestone, who has partnered with TEN previously in traditional media.