Volvo is a very small player in the UK market with only 2% share. So, it can’t call on the big budgets of its German luxury rivals. And it can often be pigeon-holed as dull, safe, boxy family brand.

Volvo describe themselves as ‘the car for people who care about other people’ and, in truth, have always focused not just on their vehicles themselves but also the effect they have on the world around them. This means both safety for other road users as well as the cars’ environmental impact.

Volvo needed to find a powerful and compelling way to bring this brand truth to life for their core premium target - aiming to increase positive perceptions and consideration for the brand. That audience is highly targeted by the Sky Atlantic platform.

Volvo ‘Human Made Stories’ is a series of unmissable films based on remarkable real life events. Nemo’s Garden - The story of one man’s dream to build a farm on the bottom of the ocean. Music of the Mind - The tragic tale of Rosemary Johnson, the virtuoso that the world never heard. The Unseen Ocean - A moving story about London’s inner city children who have never seen the ocean. Each story features at least one Volvo car but beyond that, each story reflects and dramatizes Volvo’s brand values and beliefs. We used 5 second break bumpers around other shows to drive viewers to the ‘Human Made Stories’ episodes on VOD.

We realised that to make the stories famous, we had to create awareness beyond the audience of Sky Atlantic. We worked with Sky Atlantic to make this much more than a media sponsorship opportunity – we promoted it as if it were another Sky Atlantic series - creating a deeper and richer way to tell Volvo’s story of ‘Humancentric innovation’. When ‘Music of the Mind’, the second episode of the series launched, we invited the media to the screening at the care home of Rosie Johnson, the woman whose story the film tells. It was an emotional moment as it was the first time Rosie had seen her story told and the media were there to share it. We created media packs including trailers, behind-the-scenes photographs, and interviews with the film’s directors.

‘Human Made Stories’ and the three episodes included in the case study aired on Sky Atlantic throughout 2018 and will be available to download via the Sky+ Video on Demand platform until end of 2019. Its the first-time brand funded entertainment has infiltrated the Sky+ digital listings pages.

There was a 91% view through rate via Sky OnDemand and people on YouTube watched a minimum of 75% of the story despite having the option to ‘skip ad’ after 5 seconds of viewing.

Viewers who had seen HMS were 25% more favourable of the Volvo Brand.

Those who have seen Human Made Stories are 3.5x more likely to consider a Volvo in the future vs non-viewers. Purchase intent increased from 75% to 86% after viewing.

Those aware of the Volvo x Sky Atlantic partnership were at least 2x more likely to recommend Volvo than those that weren’t (61% v 29%)