The auto industry is a competitive world and the money that car companies put into ad campaigns is a proof of that. These ads are great tools in promoting car brands. Volvo for example is believed to allocate $150 million for global advertising. This is a good investment for companies since through ad campaigns, consumers are informed of the strong selling points of their products. And in Volvo's case, it is their range of automobiles.
Recently, Volvo announced that they have picked a new firm to handle their ad affairs. The two final firms left after Volvo shortened their list are Arnold/Nitro and Fallon. After much deliberation, Volvo's Director of Global Advertising, Tim Ellis, announced that they will be working with Arnold and Nitro.
It is a common knowledge for car buyers that Volvo is dedicated to producing safe cars. With their working relationship with Arnold/Nitro, Volvo said that it will not broaden their position where car safety is concerned. "I wouldn't say we're broadening the positioning beyond safety," says Ellis. "I would say that we're redefining safety, meaning that we're redefining the bigger promise behind what safety really means. It's about identifying an idea in which safety is very firmly grounded in the core, but it presents the brand in a more emotional, desirable way."
Volvo also maintained that they will be focusing on what they do best and that is safety. The Swedish brand also pointed out that they will be aiming marketing their cars as what they are - a high-end luxury brand. "We are a high-end, upscale brand," says Ellis. "Therefore, we need to present the product in a context that is high end and upscale - something that people can aspire to," he explained further. "What we've done before is be very inconsistent with our message. We have talked about the things that all car manufacturers talk about - performance, design, safety, high technology - but we haven't wrapped all that up into one single-minded proposition that communicates what Volvo is all about. To do that, the idea has to build off and leverage the core brand properties that people know about Volvo, which are safety, care for the environment and care for people. The idea has to redefine that in a new, exciting way. It's about why does Volvo focus on safety? It's about the care for people, the togetherness you get with a Volvo, the promise of how Volvo builds their cars."
During the final review, Arnold/Nitro faced up against Fallon and Ellis stated the reason why the former was chosen. "They provided the best balance of focusing on who we are as a company and moving us forward in a more innovative, modern way," according to Ellis. "Both agencies did present ideas and expressions of those ideas that were grounded in the Volvo brand, but we felt that Arnold did it in the best way. It is based on the focus on people that Volvo has. It's about 'yes safety' and 'why safety'." Ellis also stated Volvo's view of the capabilities of the independent advertising firm Nitro. "They're a very dynamic group and are growing quite fast," says Ellis.
As far as what the firm can do for them, Ellis has this to say: "One of our core emerging markets is China. They have a very strong office in Shanghai. And from Shanghai, they moved West, which is very interesting and unusual in the advertising industry. That in itself was very appealing and attractive to us. Even though they have a relatively small agency compared to the others competing in this pitch, they have great clients like Nike, which requires a lot of emotion and a lot of passion, which again, is something we want to focus on with Volvo communications."
With the company's working relationship with the said advertising firms, it is just a matter of time before the world witness a new era in the advertising of Volvo vehicles loaded with safety features and reliable parts such as .