Gymkhana FOUR: Breaking viral records

Monster World Rally Team driver and DC Shoes athlete, Ken Block, recently found out that his Gymkhana FOUR: The Hollywood Megamercial YouTube video for DC Shoes was the most shared viral ad video of 2011. Based on Mashable.com’s Viral Video Chart, more people globally shared the fourth installment of Block’s Gymkhana series than any other ad video last year, helping to bring the entire franchise to over 140-million views to date.

Still haven’t seen Gymkhana FOUR? Click here to see what made it the most shared viral video of 2011: http://youtu.be/btViXvIDsi0

Check out the full press release from DC Shoes below.

KEN BLOCK BREAKS VIRAL VIDEO RECORDS WITH HIT GYMKHANA SERIES
DC Shoes’ Gymkhana FOUR closed out the year with over 13 million views and continues to dominate the Internet as the most shared viral ad campaign of 2011

What began with Gymkhana 1—a practice video of DC athlete Ken Block behind the wheel of his car, roasting tires, logging seat time and having fun—has evolved into the Gymkhana franchise of viral videos, which have now successfully dominated the web as the most shared viral video series ever.

The DC Gymkhana franchise has grown to have 140 million views in total between all four videos combined. According to Mashable.com’s Viral Video Chart, Gymkhana FOUR was the most shared viral video ad of the year. Both Gymkhana THREE and FOUR have been in the top five viral ad campaigns since making their debut online, with the views and shares continuing to grow.

In addition to being one of the most innovative forms of advertising in today’s digital world, the Gymkhana series was created without the use of an outside ad agency. All marketing and public relations outreach has been handled internally by Ken’s teams, which has ultimately proven to be a powerful wakeup call for huge corporations working with big-name ad agencies and budgets as they attempt to create viral campaigns with similar levels of success.

“I was stoked when I found out that GYM4 was the most shared viral ad of 2011,” said Block. “Obviously this franchise has been a lot of fun for me in terms of coming up with the ideas, executing them and, of course, driving. But, to have the campaign be such a success is a huge thing for myself and DC, because it means that we’re doing something right in a very competitive field. I can’t wait to get started on filming for the next installment!”

“The success of Gymkhana FOUR in 2011 was insane. It really opened our eyes to the power and outreach of viral marketing. The incentive and drive to create an even more outrageous video for Gymkhana 5 is in full force, and I can’t wait for our fans to see what Ken delivers this time around. Congrats to Ken for his talent, success, and for always pushing the boundaries and reminding us what we are capable of,” said DC VP of Marketing, Jeff Taylor.

DC Shoes would like to congratulate Ken Block for his continuous innovation and success in sports, marketing, and now the world of viral videos.

For additional information on Ken Block and Gymkhana FOUR: The Hollywood Megamercial, please visit www.dcshoes.com/gym4.