Daimler : Getting to know a new board member on social media
Jason Sumner
| November 2, 2021
The German carmaker introduces a new board member with a quickfire question and answer session on Twitter and YouTube.
The feature
In September 2021, Daimler introduced the company’s new board member with responsibility for human resources, Sabine Kohleisen, on its corporate and brand Twitter channels.
In a short video, Ms Kohleisen answers several questions in quick succession: ‘Will driving still be cool in 20 years?’; ‘What are your feelings going into the new job?’; ‘What is the number one topic on your to-do list?’
The video, which was posted on the Daimler Truck AG channel and retweeted by the company’s Mercedes Twitter channel, is an excerpt from a longer four-minute video on YouTube. It is part of a ‘Speed date’ series with Daimler executives and other prominent guests such as F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. The interviews are available in English and German.
Daimler’s short videos are effective at showing the human side of the company’s leadership. The format, more often seen when interviewing rank-and-file employees, could be adapted by other companies who want to introduce a new executive to stakeholders.
The company has found a format that cuts across marketing and communications, and works well when interviewing a sports celebrity or a corporate board member. Using a shorter excerpt on Twitter, while housing the full version on YouTube, shows that the company has thought about which format works best for each channel – an indicator of a coherent content strategy.
The video is not without weaknesses – although intended to be informal, the questioner’s voice is robotic, and the answers risk coming across as stilted.
Daimler and the rest of the established carmakers are facing threats from new competitors such as Tesla, who are seen as fast-moving and innovative, so it is essential to present the company as creative and dynamic in its digital communications.