It’s a battle out there. And you have to be creative if you want to win.
The Super Bowl is the most expensive TV commercial slot in the world! Viewed by millions of people across the planet, major car brands compete for attention. In 2015, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Lexus, Kia, and Toyota spent a total of $60 million dollars in advertising their latest car models during the Superbowl.
Meanwhile, Volvo was just sitting on the sidelines enjoying the game.
But they were cooking something.
A Classic Example of the Power of Broke
The Power of Broke is a book written by Shark Tank investor and FUBU founder Daymond John. It shows how managers and entrepreneurs can leverage being broke into a business advantage by compensating it with passion, authenticity, and creativity. What Volvo did next would have made Daymond John cheer loudly from the sidelines.
Take Away Lessons from Volvo’s Interception Campaign
Too Much Money Kills Creativity
Volvo had a broke mindset while the other car companies who advertised during the Super Bowl thought that throwing millions of dollars in their 30-second ad was enough.
This is where having access to a large marketing budget can actually be a disadvantage — we can stop being creative. Think about the time when you were first starting your business, what creative solutions did you come up with? The broke mindset forces you to think outside the box. And that’s what Volvo did to increase the sales of their XC60 model by 70% the month after the Super Bowl.
Consumers Want Something New
“Car brands are telling the same story to the same people over and over again,” says Peter Ternes of General Motors.
Consumers are bombarded with ads every day and they’ve had enough. To engage your target audience, give them something new, fun, and creative. Give them a story to cheer for. Or in Volvo’s case, a cheeky competitive promotion on the sidelines.
Create Advertisements that Fit Naturally with Your Target Audience
Let’s admit it. Most ads that we see or even launched are obtrusive. Sometimes, we just create a campaign and then hope that our target audience will welcome it with open arms. But this is not often the case.
In Volvo’s Interception Campaign:
- They understand that people see cars as a reflection of themselves.
- They know that individuals love to use social media to express themselves and share what they love.
And the result? A natural fit that resonates with their target audience which then translates to millions of dollars in sales the following month.
Break the Rules
Critics call Volvo’s Interception Campaign a low blow to advertising ethics. Is it? Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, and many more like them achieved the level of success they’re enjoying today because they’re willing to challenge the status quo.
Social Media is More Powerful than TV
The world is changing. What worked 20 years ago is no longer as powerful today. And Volvo’s Interception Campaign shows us exactly that! Social media is becoming more powerful than TV for car companies. But, let’s back that up with some facts. Here are the statistics from Volvo’s marketing stunt:
- 50,000 tweets in 4 hours.
- More than 2 million video views
- 200,000,000 earned media impressions
Quite amazing isn’t it? Considering that Volvo did not even use a single Super Bowl TV slot to make this happen.
“It’s gotten to where an entire nation can be energised by the force of a single idea put out into the world in a passionate way through social media—at little or no cost.”
Daymond John
The Competition Will Learn and the World is Full of Copycats
Two things are bound to happen after the tremendous success of Volvo’s Interception Campaign.
- The competition will learn their lesson and will come up with a daring, innovative idea of their own; or
- Businesses across several industries will copy Volvo’s strategy and capitalise on it.
We’re not suggesting this is necessarily bad. Competition is healthy, as it continually pushes us to explore new ideas, just like Volvo’s.
What This Means for You
Volvo’s Interception Campaign raised the bar of advertising. As the rest of the world catches up, competition will get fiercer. Volvo may have won the battle in 2015, but it doesn’t mean they have won the war. Same is true for your business.
Big adverting budgets aren’t necessarily king. Creativity is. Being constantly creative will shoot you further ahead than a suitcase full of 100 dollar bills.
Looking for creative marketing solutions? Come, sit down with us, and together we’ll create something awesome!