Title	MADE BY SWEDEN FEAT. ZLATAN
Brand	VOLVO CARS CORPORATION
Product/Service	VOLVO XC70
Category	B02. CONSUMER PRODUCTS (INCL. DURABLE GOODS)
Entrant Company	FORSMAN & BODENFORS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Advertising Agency	FORSMAN & BODENFORS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Media Agency	MINDSHARE, SWEDEN
Production Company	ACADEMY FILMS London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Fredrik Jansson	Forsman/Bodenfors	Copywriter
Andreas Malm/Staffan Lamm/Mikko Timonen	Forsman/Bodenfors	Art Director
Nicolas Peyrau	Forsman/Bodenfors	Assistant Art Director
Alexander Blidner	Forsman Bodenfors	Agency Film Producer
Anders Bothén/Hans Andersson/Erik Sollenberg	Forsman/Bodenfors	Account Supervisor
Martin Johansson	Forsman/Bodenfors	Account Manager
Désirée Maurd	Forsman/Bodenfors	Pr
Seb Edwards	Academy Films	Director
Dominic Thomas	Academy Films	Producer
Electric Theatre Collective	Electric Theatre Collective	Post Production
Markus Bergkvist/Music Super Circus	Markus Bergkvist/Music Super Circus	Music Supervisor
Zlatan Feat. Day/'du Gamla Du Fria	Zlatan Feat. Day	Music: Artist/Title
Richard Dybeck	Richard Dybeck	Composer
Max Martin/Style Of Eye/Joakim Jarl And Svidden	Max Martin/Style Of Eye/Joakim Jarl And Svidden	Sound Design Arrangement
Max Martin For Mxm Productions/Style Of Eye/Joakim Jarl ! ! And Svidden For Fron	Max Martin For Mxm Productions/Style Of Eye/Joakim Jarl ! ! And Svidden For Front Of House. In Collaboration With Forsman/Bodenfors	Music Producer
Max Martin	Max Martin	Mixer
Calle Stoltz	Calle Stoltz	Photographer

The Campaign

As the leading car brand on the market Volvo is always under pressure to keep its market share at about 20%. The task was to communicate the Volvo XC70 model in a new, pioneering way by working with a mix of paid, owned and earned media. The Made by Sweden campaign was a magnificent tribute to Sweden, Volvo and the Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The campaign centres on a film which is set in northern Sweden. Zlatan moves through the forests. He hunts, hangs out with his family and gathers his strength. His companion is the new Volvo XC70 – one of the most capable cars Volvo has ever built. Another world famous Swedish star has contributed to these scenes. The music producer Max Martin specially wrote a version of 'Thou ancient, thou free', the Swedish national anthem. The new version of the national anthem gave millions of Swedes goose-bumps and a tear in the corner of their eyes. Zlatan and Volvo are two of Sweden's strongest brands. When they do things together it creates excitement and the upsurge in PR and social media was a crucial part of the success of the campaign. The film has 4.6 million views on YouTube. 870 articles and reports on television, on radio and in newspapers, with a total reach of almost 200 million. Sales smashed the target by 263% during the first campaign weeks which makes this one of Volvo's most successful campaigns ever.

The Brief

To communicate the Volvo XC70 model in a new, pioneering way by working with a mix of paid, owned and earned media. Also to confirm Volvo's position as market leader and strengthen the attractive power of Volvo's XC range, attract leads and generate an increased number of customer orders for the XC70.

Results

870 articles and reports on television, on radio and in newspapers, with a total reach of almost 200 million, both in Sweden and abroad. Over a quarter million people commented, liked or shared the campaign in social media. The film has more than 4.6 million views on YouTube. Volvo's followers on Instagram and Twitter more than tripled. Volvo & Zlatan trended on Twitter for three days. Zlatan's version of the national anthem hit No. 1 on the national singles chart. Even though it was a Swedish film it became the second most shared commercial in the world during its first week, which was Super Bowl week. Ad Awareness reached an all time high and Considered Brand increased by 8%. Sales smashed the target by 263% during the first campaign weeks and more than 500% the first weekend, which makes this one of Volvo's most successful campaigns ever.

Execution

The leak: Already in December 2013, during film production, news leaked that Zlatan was working with Volvo and became a headline. The confirmation: Early January Zlatan and Volvo confirmed their collaboration. New wave of media attention. The teasers: During the week leading up to the launch, short teaser films were released on Volvo's and Zlatan's social media which were picked up by traditional media. The launch: The film was launched simultaneously on a Saturday evening on the internet and national TV4. Swedes sat down to watch an advertising film. Twitter exploded with a new tweet every second. The spinoffs: The film was dissected bit for bit by the media. Does Zlatan really swim in a hole in the ice etc? Moreover, many political and cultural debates arose in the media. The social factor: Social media fed traditional media with content. Volvo and Zlatan's own channels played a huge role.

The Situation

Branded entertainment is an increasingly popular way of working with brands in Sweden. The media landscape is quite scattered and online channels are becoming more important in the total media mix. Smartphone penetration and use of social media are about the highest in the world. Previous campaigns that we had done for Volvo made Zlatan interested and he actually made the first initial contact with Volvo, telling them that he was interested in working together.

The Strategy

Zlatan is one of the world's best-known football players. He is from former Yugoslavia, but he grew up in southern Sweden. Today he is a national icon. Volvo today has a Chinese owner, but the cars are still developed in Sweden. The Zlatan and Volvo brands are united in being profoundly anchored to Sweden but with the whole world as their stage. This is summed up in the strategy and the campaign 'Made by Sweden' which is a tribute to Sweden. 2014 is an election year in Sweden and it is predicted that an xenophobic party will be able to get over 10 per cent of the votes. Letting Zlatan sing the national anthem and do his interpretation of it was a strong signal from Volvo: We stand for a Sweden which is for everyone. The effect was that the whole country discussed Swedishness and what it stands for today.