February saw Volvo Cars roll out a new brand platform titled ‘For Life’ which builds on the auto manufacturer’s long-standing reputation for safety and was launched by a team of famous faces ranging from Swedish pop star Seinabo Sey, to Paralympian Lui Cuiqing and professional skateboarder Sky Brown.
These standout, skillful performers initially appear in the campaign as nervous humans until they realise they are not alone.
Created with agencies AKQA and Grey, the campaign positions Volvo less as an auto manufacturer and more as a ‘headspace and a system of support’
The new platform launch phase was anchored by a centrepiece commercial which opens with passengers climbing in to various cars whilst looking around anxiously and receiving reassurance. The spot then evolves into a cinematic feast of touching anxieties: a child who fears the ocean, a youngster (Team GB star Sky Brown who became World Champion aged 14 and who is the UK’s youngest ever Olympic medal winner) standing at the top of a giant skateboard ramp and an athlete about to run without being able to see (Li Cuiqing is a Chinese Paralympic athlete with cerebral palsy).
It then climaxes as these people find the strength to commit to their challenges when ‘support’ appears and closes with each confidently belting up and with a flash of the Volvo EX90’s new safety features.
The film, which dropped on 13 February, was titled ‘For Life – When you feel safe you can be truly free’ familiarises viewers with Volvo’s belief that ‘How you live life affects how you drive, and how you drive affects how you live your life. We believe safe is the silent partner to progress, to greatness. To think different. To be different. Feeling safe makes us push ourselves. To be ourselves. To challenge ourselves. Because when you feel safe, you can truly be free.
The hero ad and supporting creative seek to drive viewers online to find out more on the dedicated ‘This is For Life’ website at https://volvoca.rs/3E2qOcP
The platform also includes a set of provocative, prompts called ‘The Questions Of Safety’. These include ‘Is joy a safety hazard?’ and ‘Can love steer you wrong?’ and they acts as invitations for consumers to share how life affects their capacity to drive will provide the brand with fresh insights. Volvo’s R&D team hope that the responses might inspire future research, features and products.
“We’ve all been taught that the safety net is merely there to protect us when we fall. But, in fact, it carries deeper importance, giving us the confidence to take flight and create progress,” explained AKQA Global CCO Peter Lund.
“We have an ambition to be pioneers in the protection of people and the planet,” explained Volvo Cars Creative Director Andreas Malm. “We hope to bring to life safety beyond the traditional sense and highlight how you only can live life truly free when you both are and feel safe. A true consumer benefit in the 21st century.”
“In a world where people are seeking safety in all forms, we are incredibly proud and privileged to be part of this continuous-learning journey together with Volvo Cars and AKQA,” added Grey Global CEO Laura Maness. “At the heart of our partnership are brilliant, passionate and talented people with the hunger and drive to unlock insights, deepen our understanding and collectively inspire a safer world. ‘For Life’ speaks to the extraordinary power of cultivating psychological safety and putting mental health and emotional well-being at the center of everything we do.”
The campaign was created a by a team at agency AKQA which included Peter Lund (Global Chief Creative Officer), Ander Hernando (Designer Director), Laura Hunter (Associate Creative Director), Sam Tablada (Senior Designer), Sebastian Regfeldt (Senior Creative), Jesper Ståhl (Senior Creative), Simon Magnusson (Senior Copywriter), Linus Lövbacka (Senior Designer), Anthony Penglase (Senior Product Designer), Asim Bawa (Motion Designer), Beverly Enrico (Associate Creative Technologist), Saga Westlund (Creative) and Ludvig Pehrson (Associate Creative Director).
The strategy team was led by Miriam Plon Sauer (Executive Strategy Director) and the client service and delivery unit included Zoë Baker (Client Partner), Fredrik Stahre (Associate Creative Director) and Natalie Conway (Account Manager). The technology group included Michael Carlisle (Group Technical Director), Florent Segouin (Creative Development Director) and Mike Pires (Senior Art Director) and Uros Petrevski (Strategic UX Design Director).
The group at agency Grey that worked on the project included Laura Jordan Bambach (President & CCO), Javi Campopiano (Worldwide CCO), Sam Haynes (Creative Director), John Gibson (Creative Director), Ed Hayne (Strategy Director), Gil Caldwell-Dunn (Strategy Director), Rob Gray (Business Director), Sam Dowling (Agency Senior Producer) and Alicia Cordell (Agency Assistant Producer).
The production company was New-Land with Producer Ben Turnbull and Director Sheila Johansson.
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