A purposeful challenger in a changing industry

As a strategic brand partner for Volvo Cars, Grow was assigned the task of developing a new brand strategy, brand personality and visual brand identity. After the change of ownership from Ford to Geely, the starting point was to move Volvo Cars from an upper-middle class position to a premium brand, competing with Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus.

The primary challenges were the dated model offer, declining sales figures and profitability, a lack of premium perception and a heavy American influence on design work. In addition, the global perspective lacked a consistent and distinctive direction, in regards to communication, tonality and visual identity.

The definitive direction we agreed was to strengthen the Swedish origin, from a value and lifestyle perspective, rather than a geographical one. Scandinavian premium design also became another important building block, and from this the concept of ‘Made by Sweden’ was born. Grow’s work has resulted in Volvo Cars creating a globally consistent brand platform and visual identity that communicates one unified brand.