“Theft,” by Youthography, Toronto

The product: Dejardins General InsuranceThe creatives: Sean Claessen and Jeremy Bailey

The director: Chris Sargent, Untitled

The brief: Create a viral video as part of a youth-focused campaign to launch Desjardins General Insurance in the Ontario market.

The media buy: The video did not run on television or in movie theatres. It only lives online.

The URL: There are two versions of the video. One points viewers to mycarisgone.com, where they can comment on the video and forward it to their friends. Another drives them to geared4you.ca, a portal designed to encourage young drivers to get an insurance quote.

The arrival: Because Desjardins is largely an unknown brand among Ontario youth, it wanted a campaign that would feel more familiar. “Geared4u.ca was part of the positioning but it was also a way to drive peopled to something that the knew how to spell,” Sean Claessen, creative director at Youthography.

The boys: A similar spot, titled “Damage,” was released about two months ago. It shows teenage boys watching as their car is torn apart by a powerful invisible force.

The results: The spot has been viewed about 800 times on YouTube, a far cry from the millions of views for the most successful viral campaigns. The “Damage” spot has been viewed about 25,000 times. Michele Pascoe, director of advertising and promotion for Desjardins General Insurance, said she is “not dissatisfied” with the views. “It’s all part of an integrated campaign with radio, cinema and print advertising and it all drives traffic to the site,” she said.