Arnold unveils new Volvo campaign

Boston ad agency Arnold Worldwide said today that its first TV work for Volvo Car Corp., which is set to debut next week, seeks to inject more soul into the Volvo brand.

The new campaign has the theme of "Life is Better Lived Together," Arnold said.

Arnold, which won praise for its decade-long "Drivers Wanted" campaign for Volkswagen of America, won the Volvo account this spring in partnership with a British ad agency called Nitro London.

At the time, the trade journal Adweek.com valued Volvo's advertising account at $150 million.

The goal of Arnold and Nitro's new work for Volvo is to "inject more soul into Volvo's long-standing 'for life' campaign," Arnold said.

"We discovered in the pitch process that Volvo drivers 'live' in their cars and like to bring people along for the ride," Arnold chief creative officer Pete Favat said in a statement. "Our goal is to illustrate that Volvo is a premium brand for those who want a more human experience."

Arnold and Nitro look to position Volvo as an alternative in the premium automotive category, as a "we" brand versus the traditional luxury "me, me, me" brands, Arnold said.

"Volvo has always stood for safety and thus seen as a caring responsible brand," Tom Ellis, Volvo's director of global advertising, said in a statement. "The 'life is better lived together' global platform adds emotion and clarity to the brand."

Arnold's work for Volkswagen drew high praise in the industry, but Arnold and Volkswagen parted company about two years ago.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)