About Volvo
In the spring of 1994, exactly one week after the merger with Renault dissolved, we became responsible for Volvo's advertising in Sweden. The brief was straight-forward, the assignment novel. Volvo was going to stand on its own two feet. A small car company on the edge of the North Pole out at play among all the multinational giants. The strategy was a given - the Volvo brand needed to, as quickly as possible, step up to the premium segment. Only then could it reach long-term profitability with a sales volume of only around 500,000 cars.
Simple logic. But a hard nut to crack in the Swedish market. Here Volvo was clearly the market leader with about a 25 percent share. It was the people's car. Square, safe, unsexy. It had a strong position, but also a perilous one. In focus groups young people described Volvo as a car for graying old guys in hats. That was a far cry from German competitors Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
Premium generally means lower volume. But Volvo's entire infrastructure in Sweden - distributors, service, marketing, etc. was sized for a high market share. To move from over 20 percent to less than half that would entail a huge capital loss.
In other words product development and advertising together had to make the brand so attractive that Swedes would be ready to pay even more for the great pleasure of owning a new Volvo. Nobody knew if this strategy would work. It had the ring of an impossible dream.
Now, 14 years later we know it did work. Volvo's market share is comparable, just over 20 percent (2007) in spite of the fact that the average price of a new Volvo has increased dramatically.
In close partnership with clever and often courageous Volvo partners we do everything from large launches to little ads for selling winter tires.
Together we have seen the brand develop fast and our approach has resulted in a big shelf full of awards - a Grand Prix in Cannes, for example. And the title of "Marketeer of the Year" in Sweden three times running. Today we're working hard with both the Swedish Volvo assignment and with international campaigns with Volvo Car Corporation.