Pioneering – in technology and positioning – has led Volvo to become a successful, international automotive brand. How does the company translate that characteristic to film? Hassan Butt investigates

Since the heyday of the 700 Series, when innovation was marked by boxy 740 GLs colliding into concrete walls, Volvo's automotive ascent has always favoured safety. Bold, distinct and modular, its cars have often promoted functionality as a component of style. Now, as its story ceases to be told through the crushing jolts of crash test dummies, an ongoing partnership with Sky Atlantic seeks to capture the human essence behind the Volvo experience.

Stemming from a catalogue of idents for the V40 and XC60 range, the Volvo Cars UK/Sky Atlantic partnership began in 2014, and continues to change the perception of Volvo as a brand. Beginning as a subsidiary of Swedish ball bearing company SKF, Volvo emerged in the 1940s as a frontrunner in passenger experience. Through a history of trailblazing design, pioneers such as Jan Wilsgaard spearheaded Volvo’s brand into the top flight of global auto manufacturing. A new series of videos entitled ‘Human Made Stories’ not only showcases the advancements of Volvo’s new 90 Series. it tells the company’s story in a human-centric way.

Formed in three parts, viewers are taken down the rabbit hole of innovation, where feats of human endeavour are decorated with creativity, defiance and craftsmanship, qualities that Volvo's own brand ethos shares. Beginning with engineer Oliver Armitage, whose pioneering work in prosthesis is captured in a collection of evocative sequences, the capacity for amputee rehabilitation is seemingly unending. Visceral scenes are deepened by a narrative that accentuates Armitage's breakthrough technology, and as a bird's-eye view traces the Volvo X90 through a scenic backdrop, Armitage's dreamscape is realised.

Similarly, Maria Rindstam and Josefin Arrhénborg’s efforts to preserve their cherished Stockholm archipelago goes much further than a simple project, as does Volvo’s challenge. The second part of Human Made Stories tells the tale of human solutions. As technology advances, so too can its capacity for conservation. Both Rindstam and Arrhénborg represent a different approach to their cause, one that incorporates people, communities and collectivism. The V90 model fits in perfectly with such ideals, a refinement of Volvo’s longstanding wagon design, the car now tacks a premium label on to the once- functional division of sedans, wagons and 4x4’s. Just like Rindstam and Arrhénborg’s methods, Volvo’s technology is ubiquitous, and this is not only visible in the new 90 Series, but communicated through Human Made Stories.

Last, photographer Erik Johansson conveys the intricacies of his own creative process through a layered and dynamic outlook. As Volvo’s most premium model in the 90 Series, the S90, glides through shades of auburn pines, Johansson’s values are enshrined in surreal imagery, better described by him as ‘a snapshot from another world’.

Human Made Stories ends with further sentiments of discovery, just as Johansson and the other pioneers’ journeys become boundless and continuing, the question of how the Volvo and Sky Atlantic partnership sought to portray such stories as exemplary models of human centric innovation comes at the right time in the relationship.

Volvo’s partnership with Sky Atlantic previously featured a number of 15-second idents that showcased the engineering achievements of Volvo products. Yet according to campaign manager, Terissa Wingfield, the next step needed to express more of the brand ethos, collaborating with London-based creative advertising company, Grey London, was the final piece to the puzzle. “It wasn’t about the product themselves, it was about the people. These aren’t car centric people, they’re human centric and that’s really what Volvo’s about,” says Wingfield.

Grey London’s involvement in the project continues to be an essential component of the collaboration. It worked on previous projects such as, ‘From Sweden Not Hollywood,’ as well as the collection of idents, Grey appointed Pulse Films and directors Edward Lovelace and James Hall (better known by their creative moniker, D.A.R.Y.L) to execute the production.

For Wiktor Skoog, strategic design director at Grey London, Volvo’s positioning in the tentative, often difficult automotive industry is a positive feature when imagining campaigns, “We find it interesting that there isn’t really an existing user-image of Volvo drivers, if we asked people about who drives Volvo’s, currently there isn’t really a strong idea. These three people sort of capture that spirit of what resonates with the brand.” According to Skoog, that picture has come a long way from the safety-conscious tradition of Volvo’s history.

“Everyone knows Volvo is safe, but the reason Volvo is safe is because it has a very human element to its brand identity. Safety is about people not dying in car crashes, but its moral values are because humans are the most important things. This comes through in how it designs its engines, interiors, etc. Volvo has upped
its game when it comes to human-centric philosophy” says Skoog.

For Sky Atlantic, audience expansion has been a key pillar of growth since its inception in the UK in 2011. Favouring primetime television and a growing on-demand culture, over 40% of Sky Atlantic’s programming comes from HBO. With cinematic impact at its heart, Sky Atlantic’s director, Zai Bennett says, “Volvo’s Human Made Stories align perfectly with our own values; immersive, cinematic and thought provoking, and so we are excited to be showing these short films exclusively to our viewers both on-air and on-demand.”

The Human Made Stories series launches with its own website, accompanying hashtag #HumanMade, and the promise of further projects and partnerships. “For the format going forward, we’re looking for similar length films and again we’re trying to look at people who have the same ethos as we do,” Wingfield says. As that ethos develops, Volvo’s brand positioning makes the journey upmarket, and with its technology continuing to progress, the question of whether features such as Pilot Assist, connected services and energy-absorbent seats become pastiche or pioneering will be left for the humans behind Volvo’s products to decide.