Continuing with the style established in the XC90 creative, Volvo set out to tell intriguing stories—a goal fully realized with the work John spearheaded for the Volvo S90 luxury sedan. Drawing inspiration from Walt Whitman’s “Song of The Open Road” poem, the concept focuses on a writer who is seeking inspiration as he grapples with his latest work. As the writer’s story unfolds, we see the opportunity for adventure on the open road, which dovetails with what one can experience in the new S90.
The Song of the Open Road campaign consisted of one 30-second television spot, several 60-, 30- and 15-second online video ads, and a long-form film, which summarized the story. The work was designed to stand out among the sea of sameness by not shouting at the audience. Like the XC90 campaign, the idea was to make viewers think of each spot not as an ad, but part of normal programing, or a spot for an upcoming show on Netflix or HBO that they’d want to see.
John’s leadership was spot on and the S90 creative was a hit, scoring higher than any other Volvo ad in the past for attributes such as likeability, brand recall, model recall, search intent and drive to dealership. It also garnered its fair share of social media and Internet chatter, including this quote from AdStasher.com: “Volvo has defied convention in reinventing its new car line-up and it’s advertising with its nonlinear storytelling.”
DATE
September, 2016AGENCY
Grey NYCCREDITS
Client: John MilitelloECD: Matt O’Rourke
Account Director: Janique Helson
AD: Denise O'Bleness
Director: Niclas Larsson – Iconoclast
Editor: Alvaro Del Val – Uppercut NYC
Recognition: Ad Age, AdWeek Ad of the Day
