Winners & Shortlists

MADE BY SWEDEN FEAT. ZLATAN

TitleMADE BY SWEDEN FEAT. ZLATAN
BrandVOLVO CARS CORPORATION
Product/ServiceVOLVO 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
Credits
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.