A1, Austria’s leading broadband provider, looked for branded content outlets that enable it to quickly, effectively and inexpensively create an enduring link between A1 and the new smartphone from Sony, the rugged Xperia Go. Time was short. A1 would have only two weeks as the exclusive carrier of the Xperia Go, once it became available in Austria.

Austria’s major media outlets offered few options. The two main TV channels, “ORF 1“ and “ORF 2,“ which together have a market share of 36.4 % (2011), are owned by ORF (Austrian Broadcasting), the highly regulated public service broadcaster. Branded content is allowed on neither. Market shares for private Austrian TV Stations are simply too small: ATV 3.6 %, Puls 4 2.9%, Servus TV 0.7 %. And while German TV channels are popular in Austria, they are far too expensive and inefficient for reaching Austrians.

Radio options were no more attractive. ORF has three national stations as well as a local station in every federal state, all combining for a market share of 74%. They have 2.4 times as many listeners as all private radios in Austria combined. Online orf.at is the biggest platform in Austria, with 2.72m users per month.

Young active Austrians didn’t trust smartphone ruggedness claims but did trust online crash test videos that dropped phones on pavements or in water.

We made our own crash test video, heightening credibility by asking Facebook users to name the toughest tests. They submitted 800 ideas. Their online voting selected the five we used in the video that we posted on YouTube.

Facebook users spread the video they had, essentially, created. We posted video links on all A1 social and online platforms, while outreach to journalists and gadget bloggers drew coverage that helped send the video viral.

This is the most viral video ever produced by A1 - or by any Austrian Telecom Provider – and one of the top-performing crash test videos of all time. As of mid February 2013, it has been viewed more than 1.03m times. By comparison, the official Sony Xperia Go YouTube video in Austria has slightly over 12,000 views. With more than 80,000 views, Sony Thailand did much better than Sony Austria, but that’s likely because they used A1’s footage. And since imitation is the best form of flattery, we'll note that at least one Sony provider in another country recently produced a video using the name "Outdoor Challenge" and replicating our script almost exactly.

What’s more, A1 sold almost twice as many devices as forecast. And today, if you’re in the market for the Sony Xperia Go in Austria, you’re still likely to buy the A1 version, since the video still ranks #1 in any search for Sony Xperia Go.