The Scandinavian car manufacturer, which is in the process of being sold by US parent company Ford, is hoping to shake off its reputation for purely practical motoring.
A global campaign, by incumbent ad agency Sapient Nitro, will focus on making Volvo a more ‘modern, innovative and engaging' brand. The activity is built around the line, ‘There's more to life than a Volvo'.
The first print ad, focusing on Volvo's XC60 model, will emphasise the way the brand can help ‘enable' a customer's busy day-to-day schedule. Press executions break on 1 August, while the first of four TV ads is set to follow ten days later. The campaign has been overseen globally by Volvo UK's head of marketing communications, Anita Fox.
Copy for the print ad reads: ‘There's more to life than a Volvo. There's running off for a weekend, with no phone reception. Running into an old friend and rolling back the years. Running into your ex and running right past. [...] And there's not running into the car ahead of you, in your XC60. That's why you drive one.'
Kevin Dundas, chief executive of Sapient Nitro London, says the campaign represents a ‘recognition of people's new priorities in life' and shows Volvo as a progressive brand.
However Mike Moran, former Toyota GB commercial director, believes it is a mistake for Volvo to move away from its core message around passenger safety.
‘The problem with marketing today is that people are very quick to destroy brand collateral and heritage,' says Moran, who runs a consultancy called the Automotive Partnership. ‘For years Volvo has been trying to move away from its heartland, but they should get over themselves and focus on what they are good at.'
Last December, Ford announced it was ‘re-evaluating strategic options' regarding the Volvo marque, and that until a buyer was found the company would be run as a standalone entity.