Volvo Really Takes the Plunge in Powerful Ad That Leaves the Car on Shore Grey London's 'The Swell' ByDavid Gianatasio

September 29, 2014, 1:02 PM EDT

In its first global campaign for Volvo, Grey London strives for a "quietly epic" tone to position the Swedish nameplate more firmly in the premium auto space. Director Marcus Söderlund, working through Academy Films, delivers the goods with a visually compelling minute-long film called The Swell.

We open on a moonlit beach, where a Volvo XC60 sits in the sand, the hum of its radio melding with the sounds of the sea. "To feel, to really feel, is a rare thing these days," a voiceover says. We watch a woman paddle her surfboard through dark, choppy water as a huge wave rises with thunderous force … and the tagline, "Seek feeling," flashes on screen.

The Swell weaves its tale in moody hues, offering glimpses of the car as it focuses on the lonely surfer and approaching wave. (Söderlund also directed Grey London's fiery Vodafone ad about emergency responders.)

Watch TVC here

It's an unexpected approach, and the first campaign from global creative director Hollie Newton, who joined Grey last year from Wieden + Kennedy, where she contributed toaward-winning efforts for Lurpak butter. For Lurpak, she designed sensory experiences with cheeky, playful subtexts that reminded viewers not to take the ads too seriously.

The Swell shares this "sensory" sensibility, but ratchets up the intensity to a point where I imagine some viewers might be put off. Even so, Grey deserves credit for making a commercial that ripples with energy without drowning in car-ad clichés.

The Volvo on This iPad Will Not Run Over Your Finger

McCann Digital teams up with Volvo to promote City Safety, technology that helps drivers brake right before a potential collision. The result is a tablet app called "Finger Safety", in which users' fingeres simulate the unexpected reasons City Safety might be put to the test. Users are asked to place their finger on the tablet's screen in the ad. A Volvo then races in, but no matter where the finger is placed, it stops right before crashing into it.

http://creativity-online.com/abstract?article_id=34438

Volvo Car UK celebrates 100,000 Facebook fans milestone with bespoke illustration featuring real-life comments

POSTED BY GILLIAN WEST

Volvo Car UK has marked hitting 100,000 Facebook likes with a specially commissioned artwork from illustrator Matt Johnstone.

The bespoke creation celebrates the social media milestone and uses 100 comments crowdsourced from Volvo Car UK’s Facebook page, highlighting the unique place Volvo enjoys with families and households across the country.

“I was thrilled to work with Volvo on this project, and the live aspect and filming added to the excitement. It was an enjoyable experience working at Volvo’s UK office developing drawings for 100 illustrations into a large piece of artwork. I intended to create an illustration in which people can really study all the different ideas and explore the details on close inspection – and hopefully there is a sense of playfulness too,” said Johnstone.

Kylee Rush, brand manager at Volvo Car UK, added: “We’re really proud to reach this milestone of 100,000 Facebook page likes and wanted to thank our fans for their passion and loyalty. This artwork reflects the rich history of Volvo, its vehicles and its owners, making use of Matt Johnstone’s distinctively fun and quirky style of illustration to really bring it to life in a way that makes our fans feel part of it.”

Volvo Car UK’s social media agency Mindshare collaborated on the illustration which Johnstone created at the car manufacturer’s Maidenhead HQ with the whole process filmed live. The completed film now features on the Volvo Car UK Facebook page with fans invited to enter a competition to win the bespoke creation.

Toyota: Try My Hybrid

The ‘Try my Hybrid’ campaign in Norway is a social + mobile platform featuring real Toyota Hybrid owners – who for no money – signed on to let strangers, friends and neighbours (plus friends of friends through Facebook) test drive their Hybrid.

We are told that Toyota Hybrid owners are Norway’s most satisfied car owners. I’m not sure I believe that, but recruiting more people to buy Hybrids has to be hard, so this is a very cool new way to get physical test drives happening. Very cool. What do you guys think?

Volvo Invites Drivers to Ship Packages to their Parked Cars

Serena Chu on February 21, 2014

Volvo’s new roaming delivery service lets couriers find and access people’s cars to drop off packages, thanks to Volvo On Call and Sensus Connect technologies.

Delivery people can drop off in-car packages with a digital key that will be activated once the delivery is accepted and deactivate as soon as the car’s locked again. With a smartphone app, users can be updated on the status of the delivery in real-time, but this feature can be somewhat risky, especially if owners are skeptical about strangers accessing their vehicle unguarded.

To offer its customers peace of mind, Volvo indicated that their trial results have gained a 92 percent approval rate among participants who tested of the feature. Many of these participants have said the service is more convenient than receiving their online purchases at home.

If you are someone who spends more time online shopping, perhaps this new delivery service could help you avoid missing your next scheduled drop-off.

Check out more info about the service in the video below.

Apple CarPlay Revealed in New Video By Garett Sloane

• March 3, 2014, 6:09 PM EST

CarPlay is the new name for Apple's in-car operating system, which is being developed for Volvo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and other partners. Today, consumers got a first look at what an Apple car looks like, with Volvo showing off its version.

The car’s control panel resembles the home screen of an iPad with its black background and a few handy apps like Apple Maps and iTunes Radio. The auto version of the operating system shows why it was a good idea to redesign iOS last year—app icons, with flatter design, easily transfer to another format like a dashboard console.

And CarPlay integrates with Apple’s voice-activated assistant Siri for hands-free functions.

Jean Claude Van Damme, Enya, and Volvo's Dynamic Steering System



The latest Volvo commercial is going viral for good reason. Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme takes his 53 year-old body to the next level to showcase Volvo's Dynamic Steering System. The stunt is in fact real. A Volvo rep confirmed that the spot was done in just one take, and if the actor had gotten a leg cramp while filming, he would have been protected by plenty of safety lines that were not visible in the final video. He also was aided by small platforms on the trucks' side mirrors that helped prop up his feet. But none of this takes away from the badassery of doing a perfect split between two massive moving vehicles.

 http://distractify.com/people/amazing/the-epic-split-featuring-van-damme/

Volvo: Don't Panic

Volvo wanted to promote their automatic breaking system so they started following the most influential Belgian people directly on Twitter. Agency: BBDO Belgium.

Wallabies appear to prank rival teams in branded Volvo rugby stunts

Former Wallabies have taken part in a series of video stunts for Volvo in which they appear to carry out acts of sabotage on Australia’s visiting opponents.

In the most recent stunt – masterminded by rugby sponsor Volvo’s agency Arnold Furnace - Nathan Sharpe, Al Baxter, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Beau Robinson, appeared to trap the Springboks team coach inta cul-de-sacas it made its way to the Suncoorp Stadium in Brisbane at the weekend.

Previous stunts in the branded entertainment series have purported to show Radike Samo, Nathan Sharpe and Al Baxter posting a sign taunting the visiting All Blacks ahead of the Bledisloe series.

And in July Drew Mitchell, Sharpe and Polata-Nau appeared to wake up the visiting British Lions team with loud music outside their hotel at 2.30 in the morning.

The most viewed of the three videos is the Springboks stunt which has had just over 70,000 views on YouTube since being made visible on the Volvo YouTube channel. According to a statement from the agency:

“Arnold Furnace created the third spot in their tongue-in-cheek rugby sponsorship campaign for Volvo, by getting the Aussies to outsmart the Springboks last night, just hours before the Nathan Sharp, Al Baxter, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Beau Robinson did their bit for Australian Rugby again, this time in Brisbane, by sending the Springboks’ coach the wrong way en route to the stadium.

“Arnold Furnace ECD Tom Spicer said, ‘After failing to influence the result against the Lions and the All Blacks, the boys were desperate to deliver with this one, adopting a military style prep in the lead up to the game.  Although it didn’t translate onto the pitch, Nathan and the boys put in another stellar performance which the Springboks bought hook line and sinker.  At least I think it was them.’”

For anyone who doubted the authenticity of the pranks being shown, the video was first uploaded to the Volvo YouTube channel on August 26, nearly a fortnight before the ambush was supposed to have taken place.

The videos link back to Volvo’s positioning of “Doing our bit for Australian rugby”.

Credits:

• Arnold Furnace team:
• ECD: Tom Spicer
• Creatives: Cameron Brown, Luke Duggan. Peter Maniaty, Jack Nunn
• Producer: Christina Wilmot
• GAD: Michael Stevenson
• Account Manager: Tim Wiche
• Agency Partners:

Production House: Infinity Squared

• Director: Rob Stanton-Cook
• Producer: Ainslee Wood
• Post Production: Craig Deeker @ The Gingerbread Man
• Client: Matt Braid, Greg Bosnich, Gillian Bromiley, Jennifer Proctor

Volvo XC60: Leave The World Behind

  

Forsman & Bodenfors Sweden has created a branded content video for Volvo that features hot Swedish DJ dance group Swedish House Mafia. The group recently announced that they were breaking up and that their current tour would be their last. Forsman & Bodenfors came up with the idea of a music video featuring the Volvo XC60 with the group going their separate ways. Director Adam Berg shot the video which features a re recording of one of Swedish House Mafia's early hits - "Leave the World Behind" by singer Lune.

Volvo Launches World First In-Dash, Voice Activated Spotify

Automakers go after campers

Based on article from Korea Times Apr. 17, 2013

             Hyundai Motor will hold a group camping event for its customers on May 25 and 26, as part of its marketing strategy to promote its recreational and sports utility vehicles. / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

Camping has become increasingly popular as a leisure activity among Koreans in recent years, and automakers are trying to take advantage of the trend.

Local automakers and imported car brands have launched various recreational vehicles (RVs) and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to attract those who go camping by emphasizing their benefits for such purposes.

The nation’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor has the richest RV and SUV lineup, including the Santa Fe and Tucson. It recently launched the Maxcruz, a longer-body version of the popular SUV Santa Fe, and the Grand Starex Camping Car, a modified model of the Grand Starex minivan.

“As the nation’s camping goods market grows rapidly and auto-camping sites continue to increase, the demand for camping vehicles has grown,” a Hyundai official said. “It would be hard to load all your camping equipment into a sedan, but SUVs and RVs are good for that.”

Market insiders estimate about a million Koreans enjoy camping and the camping equipment market is worth 300 billion won, and keeps growing fast.

Reflecting the growing trend, the Grand Starex Camping Car sold out in just one month. The automaker had originally planned to produce 120 vehicles of the model for this year.

“We were also surprised by the strong demand for our camping car,” the official said.

The automaker also hosts group camping events regularly for Hyundai owners as part of its marketing strategy.

The firm said it will accept applications from customers until May 15 for the next camp, to take place in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on May 25 and 26. It will invite 200 families.

Ssangyong Motor has changed its key marketing strategies to target young drivers who enjoy outdoor leisure activities.

“We decided to come up with new concepts for our marketing strategies for our SUVs,” a Ssanyong official said. “We chose new target customer groups, namely those in their 20s and 30s, and started to give the vehicles a new image associated with outdoor leisure and camping.”

In line with the new efforts, the company started to use the term leisure utility vehicle (LUV), to refer to and market such makes as the Korando Sports. It also recently launched the 11-passenger Korando Turismo, referring to it as a multi-leisure vehicle (MLV), and marketed it as suitable for campers.

The automaker also holds camps for drivers of its Korando series in winter and summer.

Imported brands have also been holding promotions recently as people seek to enjoy outdoor activities.

Volvo Car Korea is offering camping equipment and goods such as tents, outdoor tables and chairs, as well as free installation of a roof box to those who buy the automaker’s SUVs. These include the XC60 D4, XC60 D5, XC70 D5 and XC90 D5

“It seems many automakers want to associate their SUVs with camping to market them,” an official from Volvo Car Korea said.

Hansung Motor, an official dealer of Mercedes-Benz, also holds a promotion event titled “Camping & Drive,” which offers camping equipment and goods to customers who buy luxury sedans.

“We think a lot of people want to go camping in the season of spring, so we are holding this promotion in April,” an official from the company said.

Volvo Trucks Accompanying Interactive Experience with E-Bay bidding

The idea to create a digital magazine concept that took adaptive design for multiple platforms to the limit. The concept and design took inspiration from editorial fashion magazine design and spiced it up with added functionality from the world of digital experiences. A clear direction was to try to make the magazine diverse and surprising, keeping the 10 chapters very different when it came to form, function and interactivity. We set out to build a rich, yet lightweight experience that was perceived to be the same across all platforms independent of their respective technical limitations.

For more information, visit the Google Creative Sandbox case study page.

GMIO editor's note: Who knew that the viral video "Ballerina on a tight rope" had a larger creative scope.

Volvo expects 54% sales boost from new models

Volvo expects 54% sales boost from new models

Volvo Car Thailand is confident it can break its sales target this year thanks to new models and innovative technologies.

President Chantana Vatanaromya said attractive and interesting promotional campaigns are contributing to its sales increase.

Volvo expects to finish this year with 1,850 sales, up by 54.2% from last year, while its share of the luxury car market will rise to 13% from 10%. The overall luxury car market is expected to reach 13,000 to 14,000 units this year.

As of Oct 31, Volvo had sold 1,476 cars, a rise of 47.6% year-on-year.

"Thanks to our 'Designed Around You' concept, Volvo has been able to develop cars and technologies that enhance people's driving comfort and road safety, the qualities that best address urban and modern consumers' lifestyle and needs," Ms Chantana said.

Volvo has enjoyed very good sales across all segments, especially with the Volvo V50, the only premium sport wagon in the market.

At the the 29th Thailand International Motor Expo from Nov 29 to Dec 10, Volvo will launch five 2013 models: the S60, S80, V60, XC60 and XC9.

Its latest safety technologies _ active high beam, road sign information and tunnel detection _ will be standard across all 2013 models.

"These new technologies are proof of our ultimate vision of an accident-free traffic environment," said Ms Chantana.

"Volvo Car Corporation's short-term target is that no one will be killed or injured in or by a new Volvo car by 2020. New technologies warn and assist drivers in difficult situations to avoid accidents."

Volvo is offering attractive promotions including extended warranties, accessories and overseas travel packages.

Ms Chantana said Volvo's service will be upgraded next year, while one or two showrooms and service centres will be added to the nationwide network of 12.

Volvo has introduced its Volvo Service 2.0 programme that gives special services to customers taking their cars for service at authorised dealers.

These services include a software update, health check focusing on safety features, car wash, service contact and a roadside assistance extension for one year at no charge.

Volvo emboldened by upsurge in sales

Volvo emboldened by upsurge in sales

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/marketing/317614/volvo-emboldened-by-upsurge-in-sales 

Volvo Group (Thailand) is moving ahead with a 4-billion-baht investment, boosted by unprecedented sales growth of 163% year-on-year in the first eight months of 2012.
President Jacques Michel said the growth was due mainly to Volvo's new truck models and rebounding demand for trucks after last year's floods. Details of the figures were unavailable.
Last year, the group delivered 1,027 Volvo trucks and 132 Volvo buses in Thailand and neighbouring countries Volvo trucks are assembled in 16 countries around the globe.

More than 115,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide last year. Volvo Group early this year unveiled a plan to spend 4 billion baht in Thailand, to be split equally between buying and expanding the Volvo-owned Thai Swedish Assembly (TSA) plant, and upgrading existing branches and opening new outlets.

On completion next year, the TSA plant's annual production capacity will be 4,500 Volvo trucks, up from 2,000 now, and 20,000 UD-brand trucks. UD trucks were earlier built and distributed locally by Nissan Diesel Thailand, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hong Kong-listed Tan Chong.

Volvo Group (Thailand), wholly owned by AB Volvo, assumed full ownership and management of UD trucks in Thailand late last year. Figures on production capacity for UD trucks under Tan Chong were unavailable.

"The truck market grew significantly in Thailand this year because it recovered from sales that were battered by the impact of the massive floods late last year," said Mr Michel. The heavy-truck market in Thailand is estimated at 12,000 units a year.

Volvo is scheduled to open its first branch in Khon Kaen province today as part of the company's ambitious plan of opening 10 branches over the next 12 months. The company is also committed to renovating five existing branches owned by Volvo and another two owned by private dealers of UD trucks.

Under the network expansion plan, 150 positions will be created to strengthen Volvo's team. Mr Michel said Thailand remains Volvo's key strategic truck market in the region despite being smaller than Indonesia.

Thailand is Volvo's production base for Volvo and UD truck exports worldwide, especially UD trucks destined for Asia (except Japan), Africa and South America. "That is why we invested an additional 2 billion baht to expand Volvo's assembly plant in Thailand," said Mr Michel.