Passion is Key in Volvo's New Global Communication Platform

GÖTEBORG, SWEDEN - For the first time ever, Volvo Cars is launching a global communication platform. The theme is "There's more to life than a Volvo. That's why you drive one."

The aim is clear: "Volvo is to be perceived as a brand that stands out from the crowd, one that is bolder, inspires passion and is at the same time refined," said Michael Persson, global marketing communications director at Volvo Cars.

"We want to include more passion and life and we want to do so more clearly. We have wonderfully well-designed cars that integrate good performance, exciting innovation and fresh communication. At the same time, we are in the lead in our pro-environmental work and in the field of innovative safety." continues Michael Persson.

The new global communication platform is based on customer insights from global segmentation while at the same time building further on the theme of "Volvo. For life."

"We are creating a more powerful, modern and at the same time warmer image of the brand. We are talking about safety in a more self-confident and appealing way than we've ever done before," explains Michael Persson.

Behind the new platform is the global marketing department at Volvo Cars' head office in Göteborg, Sweden. Previously, Volvo's marketing and brand-building were more decentralized. However, surveys indicate that the brand's image has been perceived differently on different markets. The new, cohesive, grasp is one way of ensuring a standardized international perception of Volvo the world over. And the aim is to carve out a more daring and more impassioned brand, one that secures its place on the global premium market.

Another important factor behind the new global platform is that on many markets, Volvo Cars is a small operator with a market share of just over one percent. Bearing this in mind, it is even more important to be heard and noticed in order to stand out from the crowd and reach out with the message.

"With the new uniform campaign the world over, we will reinforce our position and make a bigger impact," says Michael Persson. "What is more, we are teaching the new target groups what the brand name represents."

The communication platform covers all car models and is to be used in all types of media - from newspapers, Web, radio, and TV to the way dealers communicate in their showrooms. This summer, film material was produced in Barcelona, Spain, for the Volvo C30, C70, XC60, and DRIVe models.

In the printed media, the campaign gets under way first with pictures of cars but in the future pictures of people will be included.

"There's more to life than a Volvo. That's why you drive one" was created in cooperation with advertising agencies Arnold/Nitro, 4D, and Mindshare.

The first market to launch the campaign was Spain. The UK campaign got under way in mid-August. This autumn, starting in mid-September, the campaign will be gradually rolled out on one market after the next.

"This is a platform with which we are going to live a long time. We will also use it for the launch of our forthcoming models," says Michael Persson.