Volvo Car India: Here is the safety belt

Volvo Car India, which released a television commercial (TVC) for its S80 luxury sedan in April, did not talk about the safety features of the car in the ad. It is now using the digital medium to convey, demonstrate and create awareness about the safety aspects, apart from the technology, luxury and Scandinavian design possessed by its cars.

Speaking to afaqs!, Sudeep Narayan, marketing and public relations manager, Volvo Car India, says, "A 30-second TVC is not enough to showcase the various safety features present in Volvo cars, so we have used the TVC for building an imagery of a safe, luxurious brand.

"However, we will leverage the interactive and engaging capabilities of the digital media to let the consumers understand and experience the safety features present in Volvo cars."

Interestingly, the Indian version of the Volvo Car website, available at VolvoCars.in, has a special section called Experience Volvo, where the company has hosted a few interactive flash presentations on safety and child safety, apart from presentations on luxury, quality and environment related features.

Even its mobile Internet site, currently hosted through Yahoo! Mobile, has dedicated links directing consumers to experience the safety features of its cars.

In future, the company plans to utilise social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook to share videos which will educate consumers about the safety aspects of cars.

Other than pushing its brand values and features through VolvoCars.in and the mobile site, the company is in the process of formulating an online marketing campaign. Narayan reveals that Volvo will spend nearly 15 per cent of its total advertising budget on digital marketing.

He says, "Volvo will employ digital marketing to talk about its core brand values - safety, environment, luxury and quality; and also use it to generate leads for various car models and boost the traffic on VolvoCars.in."

All the digital marketing activities of Volvo Car India will be handled by the digital agency Ideaz Inc., based in New Delhi.

The online marketing plan will include rich media banner ads, search and social media marketing. E-mail marketing will also be included to communicate with the existing customers.

"Volvo banner ad campaign will be visible only on niche sites such as financial portals and on sites which have a subscription-based model," says Gurpreet Singh, chief executive officer, Ideaz Inc.

The company plans to develop a Volvo application and widgets, which will be made available on Facebook and its mobile site in the near future. Volvo Car India has a Twitter account as well at Twitter.com/VolvoCarIndia.