The mailer, which will be sent out this month, features a picture of a balloon emblazoned with the words "Myths about Volvo". A sharpened pencil hovers nearby and the strapline reads: "Let's explode a few, shall we?"
The inner pages tackle myths one by one. One heading, which claims "Volvo cars are a little... well... boxy", is followed by a picture of the company's new C70 convertible and a description of its "sexy curves."
The other myths tackled are "The Volvo's natural habitat is the slow lane" and "All cars are as safe as Volvos these days".
The mailing tries to dispel these perceived myths with descriptions of the engine size and performance capacity of Volvo vehicles and the company's specialist safety innovations.
Anita Fox, Volvo direct marketing manager, said: "Brands always have a number of preconceived images connected to them in consumer's minds and, instead of ignoring these, we decided to tackle any myths head-on."
Frazer Howard, EHS Brann creative director, said that Volvo was using an unconventional marketing strategy.
"This is a really brave project for Volvo. To actively showcase misconceptions of the brand that may be less than complimentary is not standard marketing practice," he said.
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