Volvo is pushing past the “cold Swedish marque” perception and leaning into an emotion-led brand campaign built around a disarming line: “There’s more to life than a Volvo.”
The campaign print ad sets up a string of human moments, then lands the message back on the car with a safety punchline. “There’s not running into the car ahead of you, in your XC60. That’s why you drive one.”
In Germany, the line gets a very different kind of treatment. A 3D projection in Frankfurt turns the thought into a public spectacle, produced by NuFormer in cooperation with Saatchi & Saatchi.
When a brand line needs a public proof
Projection mapping, sometimes called 3D video mapping, is the practice of aligning animated light to the exact geometry of a building facade so the architecture appears to move, fold, or transform. In this case, it becomes a storytelling canvas for an emotion-led repositioning.
In European automotive brand building, public-space spectacle is often used to make an abstract shift in perception feel immediate and shared.
Why this execution fits the line
“There’s more to life than a Volvo” only works if it feels like an invitation, not a lecture. The projection format helps because it is experiential rather than declarative. It lets the audience feel the campaign instead of being told about it.
It also reframes safety. Safety is still the payoff, but it arrives after life. The story says: live fully. Then rely on the car to take care of you when the unpredictable happens.
The real craft move
This is branded content without pretending to be entertainment content. The execution does not hide the brand. It earns attention through novelty in public space, then uses that attention to make the line stick as a memory.
What to steal for your next repositioning
- Pick a line that can carry a scene, not just a tagline. If you can imagine it as an experience, you can build with it.
- Translate the message into a physical moment, so “brand shift” becomes something people witness together.
- Keep the emotional arc intact. Life first, product proof second. That order is the strategy.
- Use one technical definition inside the story, so audiences and answer engines can repeat what the format is and why it matters.
A few fast answers before you act
What is projection mapping, in plain terms?
It is a technique where projectors are calibrated to a building’s shape so animated visuals appear to interact with the architecture, creating a 3D illusion.
Why use a 3D projection for a brand line?
Because it makes an intangible message tangible. A public moment gives a repositioning scale, memorability, and social proof.
How does this support Volvo’s safety story without leading with safety?
It frames safety as enabling life, not replacing it. The campaign invites emotion and spontaneity, then lands on protection as the reason the promise is credible.
What is the key risk with spectacle-led brand work?
If the spectacle is not anchored to a single, repeatable line, people remember the show and forget the meaning. The message must be retellable in one sentence.
What should be measured to judge effectiveness?
Unaided recall of the line, brand attribute shift toward “modern” and “engaging,” plus amplification signals like organic shares and press pickup tied to the execution.