How does Volvo's latest truck tower stack up?

Volvo hasn’t been one to shy away from unexpected marketing in recent years (you might recall Claude Van Damme’s “Epic Split” from2013, for instance). They’re at it again. And, once again, a massive “stunt” is getting people talking.

The concept is not complex…to understand. Stacking four semis on top of each other to showcase the strength of Volvo trucks and engineering. The balls to do it? The vision to make the very act an arresting visual piece of art? The story behind the story? That part is more impressive. Welcome to The Tower.

It’s beautiful. But, to be a honest, I questioned the whole thing at first pass. The brand marketing person in me…the one who instinctively tries to bring everything quickly back to sales, business and purpose…had a moment of dismissiveness. What was the point? Will this help sell a single truck? But, I then let it sit.. It grew on me, and it continues to do so.

Think about it. How does a brand make a relatively boring launch of large commercial vehicles exciting? Who besides trade magazines and buff books would take any notice? What could possibly make anyone beyond that core audience care? What is so intriguing about load-bearing capacity anyway?

You don’t. Nobody. You can’t. Nothing.

Unless, you’re Volvo. It mattered to them…immensely. Business importance can be a great driver of creativity. In the words of Volvo Trucks President, Roger Alm…

"This is our biggest launch ever at Volvo Trucks. They will have a huge impact on our customers' profitability and ability to compete both for business and the best drivers."

Biggest launch? Go big or go home.. Volvo did. They found a way to make the rollout of these four heavy duty trucks feel as grand and significant to others as it was and is for them. I love the way they took a traditional car launch - long dictated by the same tired and mechanical tactics - and tossed the playbook out the window.

The Tower is a piece of compelling content, whether you’re a potential driver or not. It communicates things about Volvo’s vehicles, its design team, its engineers and, by appearing in the video atop the tower, its leadership. Everyone was all in on this one. The execution also provided the perfect platform for “making of” content that is equally fascinating.

A towering achievement in many respects. Kudos to Volvo for producing something strong and powerful.