Volvo Cars Malaysia: Volvo Races Ahead of the Competition
The Challenge
Volvo received intelligence that a competitor was about to launch their luxury SUV a few months ahead of Volvo’s own SUV model. Volvo however was not ready to launch or take orders as the vehicles were not ready. The situation posed a huge risk of cutting into Volvo’s SUV sales as many buyers would likely put a downpayment on the competitor’s SUV if they launched first.
How do we pre-empt the Malaysian market about Volvo’s arriving SUV before the competitor entered the market? How do we break the news to the media, without actually telling them?
What we did
With a language-exclusive media briefing, we spotlighted Volvo moving beyond safety and great designs - alluding to its then-recent C30, XC60 (the SUV) and the S60 concept car. By focusing on the SUV’s features, and the vehicle’s chief designer, the media was ready to highlight the impending arrival of the XC60.
Results
Volvo’s news were prominently featured in The Star, Sin Chew, and Berita Harian ahead of the competitor’s release and Volvo’s XC60 dominated top selling luxury SUV model sales in the subsequent years ahead.