Volvo once possessed the most clearly positioned brand of all automotive manufacturers. It could be defined by a single word: safety. The mere mention of the Swedish marque conjured up images of dull but reliable vehicles.
In the wake of a failed acquisition attempt by Ford in 1999, however, Volvo began to thrash wildly from one strategy to the next in its quest for sales. Some ads played on Scandinavian quirks, while others tried to position Volvo as a rival to German premium marques like BMW and Audi.
In recent years the brand has taken an even more schizophrenic turn. In 2009, it launched a major brand campaign based on the line 'There's more to life than a Volvo - that's why you drive one', which scorned marketing convention by belittling the brand in front of consumers.
Most recently - and a tad bizarrely - it ran an ad for its V60 4x4 car which arguably amounted to little more than an adman's in-joke. The 'How to make a sexy car ad' spot included a shot of a panther jumping into the boot.
Such confusion has contributed to an 18% year-on-year fall in UK sales of new Volvos, according to data from SMMT. Under new Chinese owner Geely, can Volvo regain brand clarity?
We asked Mark Lund, co-founder of new agency Now, previously head of the COI and a former chief executive of DLKW, where he led Vauxhall's advertising, and Chris Pearce, chief client officer of Tullo Marshall Warren, which works on the Nissan account.
MARK LUND, CO-FOUNDER, NOW
Volvo made its name with safety. It pioneered the cage, the seat belt and side air bags. Its cars were brick-like, imposing, unapologetically square and driven by professionals - doctors and solicitors.
In the UK, the brand talked as it walked. Thanks to brilliant work by David Abbott and Abbott Mead Vickers, the brand felt intelligent, strong and dependable. It even made safety sexy, via some wonderfully kinetic films by Tony Kaye. But that was 20 years ago - today, the brand is losing ground.
The cars look more curved (the joke used to be that Volvo loved straight lines so much they had to get someone in to draw the wheels on their designs), but less distinctive.
The market is also more intense and crowded. Volvo competes with Audi above and Skoda below, caught between the premium and the mainstream.
Its latest UK TV work, although beautifully produced, is generic.
It is not surprising that the tracking shows Volvo is both less distinctive than it was and is struggling to convert liking into consideration. It has lost its identity.
REMEDY
- To regain distinctiveness Volvo needs to mine the seam of its truth. Its reputation was built on being a voice of authority. That came from its leadership on safety, but it infused the brand.
- Reassert expertise not only in driver safety but in other areas of responsibility - pedestrian safety, emissions and the place of the car in society.
- This fits with the Swedish heritage, creating distinctiveness against the mass of German brands it battles. It will play well in the UK and US, key export markets; and, in the longer term, in China, home of its new parent.
CHRIS PEARCE, CHIEF CLIENT OFFICER, TULLO MARSHALL WARREN
An old boss of mine used to joke that Volvo drivers were so risk-averse that they would watch TV wearing a crash helmet. Although this might be somewhat harsh, the underlying principle, that Volvo is synonymous with safety, still rings true today. This association is so deeply ingrained in our perceptions of the brand that any attempt to change this could prove very difficult and costly.
Recent campaigns have indeed tried to move the brand on from its image as a safe, responsible and trustworthy option to a far sexier, fun and exciting brand. But has this worked? In a word, no.
Last year's 'Naughty' campaign for the launch of the S60 was a blatant (and somewhat incredible) attempt to create this shift.
I would question in the first place why Volvo feels the need to move so far away from its 'safety' essence, which has served it well over the years.
In addition, the brand's ever-changing round of creative straplines, including 'There's more to life than a Volvo' (I should hope so!) and 'Life is better lived together' have served only to confuse consumers further.
REMEDY
- Don't stray too far from the original brand essence. Safety has and always will be relevant and important to drivers. Instead, look at ways of making safety more relevant, modern and appealing to consumers, ensuring that it is at the forefront of innovation in this arena.
- Keep brand messaging coherent. Volvo is right to use digital as a way of reaching its target audience, but it needs to ensure that the brand experiences that it creates sit comfortably together and strengthen its overall position.