Even though multi-partner initiatives that mix clients and agencies with media platforms and production companies may sound daunting, when done right they can get strong results.

Take the new web series On the Road with Amber Mac, a “special information feature” on The Globe and Mail website sponsored by Ford. Technology expert Amber MacArthur hosts the series and provides input as a tech advocate. MacArthur goes about her daily life in a Ford Focus, visiting locations like a farm and various Toronto music landmarks.

As Andrew Saunders, vice-president of advertising sales at The Globe and Mail, explained, Ford Canada’s media buying agency, Mindshare, approached the Globe to help audiences associate Ford with technology and social media.

A web series felt like a natural way to communicate with Ford Focus customers in particular, said Jason Day, a Ford marketing communications manager.

The Focus, he said, brings together engineering and new automotive technologies, and its customers are “highly connected drivers” who crave the latest innovation in their lives and cars alike. “A web series felt like a very natural way to communicate with these buyers,” said Day.

Explaining the method used to tell the story of the Focus, Saunders said the multi-pronged approach “mirrors the style and format of editorial content.” In addition to features such as weekly updates from MacArthur, the Globe integrated client messaging and branding in blogs and ad tools, including twitter feeds and video-embedded custom driver units–all of which drove back to Ford Canada’s consumer channels.

The web series is a good opportunity to engage audiences, added Day, since it creates exposure to Ford and the Focus in a “natural, seamless environment.”

MacArthur said she worked with her team at MGImedia, a video production and web services group, to focus on the car’s features “in the context of the bigger picture” to create a more seamless experience.

“Since a few of us have worked in the journalism field, we are confident that these storytelling skills will be absolutely essential as brands try to reach out with more authenticity online,” said MacArthur.

She added that this series is one of the first video projects MGImedia has produced that was created with several small teams from different organizations. “We had to compile feedback from a few sources and steer the creative in the desired direction without jeopardizing the final product,” said MacArthur.

Saunders said he is impressed by the results. He said 23% of visitors viewed the webisode videos, with 70% to 80% of the videos being fully viewed.

It also helped that MacArthur, who’s also a Globe and Mail contributor, has tweeted new content to her 60,000-plus Twitter followers and 10,000-plus Facebook followers during the program. “This is the first time we’ve produced this new editorial-like type of integrated and branded video series, and it’s proving to be very engaging with consumers,” said Saunders.

This Ford campaign will run until Nov. 4.