If the title of “The Get Away Car,” Forsman&Bodenfors’ new spot for Volvo, sounds familiar, it might be because it’s a bit similar to David&Goliath’s Super Bowl spot for Kia last year, “The Perfect Getaway Vehicle.” While it may similarly play on the terms “get away” and “getaway,” the Swedish agency’s ad promoting the V90 Cross Country takes a very different approach.
“The Get Away Car” hinges on a voiceover borrowed from British philosopher Alan Watt‘s 1959 “Live Fully Now” speech. Watt’s argument for living in the moment is paired with footage of a group of successful business professionals. It follows as each of them decides to embrace the moment, pack up in their V90 Cross Country and set out for some distant retreat.
While the basic premise is nothing groundbreaking for the category, it’s lent an unusual emotional weight by Watt’s speech. The speech is well matched by the pacing and tone of the footage of four individuals deciding to escape their routine for the rugged outdoors of Vancouver. The approach is not new for the brand, following on the heels of a New Year’s-themed spot that quotes Alfred, Lord Tennyson‘s poem “Ring Out, Wild Bells.”
“Most of us reach a point in life when we choose a career over being a ski bum or a surfer. For some people this can mean losing their sense of adventure as they settle into a comfortable life,” Volvo Car Group vice president, global marketing Thomas Andersson said in a statement. “This campaign reminds us that now is the time to reconnect with the people and passions we love so much and to live our lives to the fullest.”