Volvo ‘Life Paint’: when brand action, not proposition, creates buzz

Pundits say that the key difference between the advertising of yesterday and today is one of ‘saying’ versus ‘doing’. For years brand said their piece (usually about how great they were) through one way communication. The creative execution embellished the proposition. If consumers did not find the communication endearing they could ignore it and if they liked it, they may mention it to friends. In today’s context, brands believe in going beyond mere claims and doing something relevant for the consumer. Such an act, if done well then gets the consumer to talk about the brand voluntarily in social media. P&G’s ‘Thank You’ mom campaign is one such act. A few years ago, they would have created a heart warming commercial about the special mother-child relationship and that would be perfectly alright. Now they walked the talk about mothers being special by making them feel special – they took mothers of US athletes to the Winter Olympics and to the summer Olympics in London.

The latest from Grey London for Volvo is one such ‘act’. Like other well thought through activations, this one is rooted in the brand promise. Volvo stands for safety (‘they invented the three-point seat belt in 1959 and then opened up the patent so that any car manufacturer could use it) and this act is anchored on that proposition.

Vovlo Cars presents LifePaint. The best way to survive a crash, is not to crash. LifePaint is a unique reflective safety spray. Invisible by daylight, it shines brightly in the glare of car headlights. Making the invisible, visible.

Agency: Grey, London

A Cannes contender, me thinks. Also, I like the way Grey London is using Medium to announce such.