Beyond the Badge: A Different Kind of Porsche Story

A Story Beyond the Car

A customer testimonial doesn’t always have to be about the car itself. Sometimes, the most interesting stories are about the people behind the wheel and the role a vehicle plays in their lives.

That was the thinking behind our collaboration with Porsche Centre South Lakes and BEEP Doctors, telling the story of Dr John Ferris, a volunteer doctor based in Keswick who gives his time to support emergency medical response across the Lake District.

John recently purchased a Porsche Macan GTS, which he had converted into an emergency response vehicle to support his work. It offered an opportunity to explore a different side of Porsche’s customer base, moving beyond the traditional automotive testimonial to tell a story with a much broader purpose.

Our objective was to produce a film that brought John’s story to life, highlighting the important work of BEEP Doctors while showing how the Macan fits into his day-to-day role.

A small crew and a lot to capture.

With a strict deadline dictated by John’s availability, the production left little room for additional filming days. Working as a two-person crew, we had just one day to capture everything needed for the main film and a supporting collection of still imagery.

The morning was spent at John’s home in the Lake District, where we set up a two-camera interview. This gave us the time to learn more about John’s experiences, his work with BEEP Doctors and the practical role his Macan plays in his day-to-day life.

The interview was central to the project. Before capturing the car in action, we wanted to understand the person using it and the motivation behind his volunteer work. This would give the finished film a more personal foundation, allowing the visuals to support John’s story rather than simply showcase the vehicle.

The afternoon was dedicated to capturing the Macan on the surrounding roads, with a filming window of approximately three hours between midday and 3pm.

Working within that timeframe, we captured a range of dynamic driving footage, including vehicle-to-vehicle tracking shots, aerial footage using both conventional and FPV drones, and additional perspectives from vehicle-mounted cameras.

With a compact crew and a tightly defined schedule, careful planning and making the most of every setup were essential. Alongside the footage required for the main film, we also captured supporting photography for use across Porsche Centre South Lakes wider content channels.

From a Customer Testimonial to a Bigger Story

Rather than relying on the vehicle alone to carry the story, the film placed it within the context of John’s work. The Macan became part of a wider narrative about the people who volunteer their time to provide medical assistance in challenging environments, and the importance of having the right vehicle for the job.

For Porsche Centre South Lakes, this offered a different approach to customer-focused content: one that connected the brand and its product to a real person, a distinctive use case and a meaningful story.

The response to the finished film was particularly encouraging.

The video has since become the third-best-performing piece of content on Porsche Centre South Lakes YouTube channel, attracting more than 66,000 views and 2,000+ likes.

Its reach also extended beyond the dealership’s own channels. Porsche Newsroom subsequently picked up John’s story, publishing a dedicated feature on its website and sharing the story across its social channels.

This additional coverage gave the project a wider audience, bringing further attention to John’s work and the role of BEEP Doctors.

Read the feature on Porsche Newsroom.

The Value of a Good Story

For us, this project is a good example of what can be achieved when a clear creative objective meets a compelling human story.

With just two people behind the cameras and a single day to capture the content, we delivered a film and supporting imagery that fulfilled the original brief while reaching an audience far beyond its initial release.

The strongest part of the project, however, was never simply the vehicle or the production itself. It was the opportunity to tell John’s story and highlight the work of people who volunteer their time to help others.

Sometimes, the most effective branded content comes from looking beyond the product. By finding the right story and giving it the space to be told, a customer testimonial can become something much more meaningful.

Client

Porsche Centre South Lakes

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