Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, is challenging people to rediscover their passion in life with the new V90 Cross Country campaign.
International research, undertaken by Volvo Cars, shows that six out of ten people globally want to spend more time pursuing outdoor activities – with hiking, running and cycling topping the most-popular list. Among those who feel unable to prioritise their hobbies, 68 per cent indicated that their work takes up too much time in their life. Responding to these insights, Volvo Cars’ new V90 Cross Country campaign encourages people to rediscover their passions and adventures that they once loved and prioritised.
“Most of us reach a point in life when we choose a career over being a ski bum or a surfer. For some people this can mean losing their sense of adventure as they settle into a comfortable life. This campaign reminds us that now is the time to reconnect with the people and passions we love so much and to live our lives to the fullest,” says Thomas Andersson, Vice President Global Marketing, Volvo Car Group.
Taking inspiration from the late British philosopher Alan Watts, the new campaign encourages people to rediscover their forgotten passions, rethink their priorities in life and live more in the moment.
“Without clichéd images of rural terrain or off-road capabilities, the V90 Cross Country is presented as The Get Away Car; a perfect enabler that helps people get away from their busy lives to reach that much-sought-after work-life balance,” says Thomas Andersson.
The campaign film, shot in and around Vancouver, Canada, follows four business professionals reconnecting with their loved ones and the passions of their past, leaving the city behind in their Volvo V90 Cross Country for surfing, fishing and nature photography trips.
The imagery is contrasted by the iconic 1959 “Live Fully Now” speech by philosopher Alan Watts, in which he discourages people from living for future status, and instead encourages them to live in the moment and do more of what they love. The message is clear: “You Can’t Live at All, Unless You Can Live Fully, Now.”
See the campaign and follow Volvo Cars on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter.
Note to Editors
Alan Watts (1915–1973) was a British philosopher, best known as an interpreter and populariser of Eastern philosophy for a Western audience. By the late sixties, he had become a counterculture celebrity, who travelled widely to speak across the US and Europe. He wrote 25 books and his audio library comprises more than 400 talks. Today, he has a huge following with podcast and YouTube components approaching ten million downloads. His ideas are particularly popular in the global outdoor community. His legacy is managed by his son, Mark Watts.
-------------------------------
Volvo Car Group in 2015/16
For the 2015 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 6,620 MSEK (2,128 MSEK in 2014). Revenue over the period amounted to 164,043 MSEK (137,590 MSEK). For the full year 2016, global sales reached a record 534,332 cars, an increase of 6.2 per cent versus 2015. The record sales and operating profit cleared the way for Volvo Car Group to continue investing in its global transformation plan. Full financial results for 2016 will be announced in February.
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo has been in operation since 1927. Today, Volvo Cars is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales of 534,332 cars in 2016 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding) of China since 2010. It formed part of the Swedish Volvo Group until 1999, when the company was bought by Ford Motor Company of the US. In 2010, Volvo Cars was acquired by Geely Holding.
As of December 2016, Volvo Cars had around 30,000 employees worldwide. Volvo Cars head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars head office for China is located in Shanghai. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), Chengdu and Daqing (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden).
