To launch the new Volvo hybrid, the XC90 T8, we didn’t create an ad. We invented a technology to re-think the way cars are powered. And then we surrounded the idea with content, including a film and pushed it out to our target.

A peristaltic system was invented to capture energy from cars using only hydraulic power. The main component of it is a mat that contains tubes that are full of water. When a car drives over the mat, it compresses the tubes and its forward momentum pressures the water through, generating hydraulic power. The hydraulic power is then turned into electricity.

After over 4 months developing the technology, we hijacked a highway in California and used the system to steal energy from other cars to power the new Volvo hybrid SUV. A special billboard thanked all the other car brands whose energy was stolen.

It took 4 months to find the activation location and to fully develop the technology. We evaluated and tested a variety of existing technologies that would allow us to capture power from the road; but none of them fully suited our purposes. Most of them relied on kinetic energy and required the cars to slow considerably in order to capture any charge at all. Eventually we decided to create a hydraulic system that would allow cars to drive in a normal manner while still being incredibly efficient at generating electric power.

The activation took place in Southern California. In summary, Volvo "hijacked" the power from passing cars over the course of two days proving power truly can come from unexpected places.

The content captured during the two-day event was turned into a video that launched on YouTube and Facebook.

Highway Robbery stole the show. The campaign generated more than 71MM total media impressions, centered around our 2 pieces of video content. Totaling 5.3 million views in 2 weeks (2.6 million for the :15 teaser and 2.7 million for the 2:00 long-form). PR coverage of the activation came from 40 different countries and totaled more than 200 articles in a array of tech publications, auto blogs and news outlets – our exact desired target. The combined earned media impressions for these articles was more than 55.4 million in North America, an estimated earned ad value of $1.5 million. Perhaps The Drive put it best, recognizing this effort for what it means for the Volvo brand. Highway Robbery is more than just a way to “start conversations about harnessing energy; these are part of the big statements the brand is making about where it stands in the constellation of automakers.”