Volvo heads online in new brand drive

The web campaign to reposition Volvo cars as a "lifestyle

vehicle will be followed by an advertising burst next month. Volvo launched the site created by Ogilvy Interactive at www.volvocarsasia.com/spirit/ in a drive to hit the youth segment. The site highlights the "unconventional" and takes aim at competitors Mercedes Benz and BMW. Yvonne Tey, communications manager at Volvo, said: "Mercedes Benz is a car that exemplifies luxury, while BMW targets yuppies. And these are cars that a lot of youth aspire to get. However, Volvo has always been seen as a family car that your father drives. We wanted to change that perception. We know a lot of people do research on the web before buying a car."

Volvo also wanted to get the message out to young audiences - the 13 to 25-year-olds, a key demographic on the web. Tey said: "We wanted them to understand our branding. They may not have money now to buy a car, but this may affect their decision once they do."

In the past, Volvo's strength has been its heritage in safety innovation.

This campaign, which coincides with Volvo's 75th anniversary, will place greater focus on value-added gadgets.

Graham Kelly, regional creative director at Ogilvy Interactive, said the site incorporated unusual features. "Even the navigation is elegantly unconventional: you select sections by dragging a sliding bar and as you do this, the music changes and mixes with the next track."

Tey noted: "The new advertising will be a very clean, Scandinavian design, and one which is a balance between life and work. It will be very 'Wallpaper-like'."

Volvo's creative account is split between O&M and Euro RSCG.