Volvo Trucks manufactured its first truck in 1928. Although the first model was just an ordinary truck, the LV Series 1 sold 500 units in the first year. The rest after that were just a part of the rich history of Volvo Trucks. By the end of 2011, more than 19,000 employees in 15 countries worldwide are producing and selling 100,000 units of trucks annually.
With the public’s growing awareness on environmental issues, Volvo Trucks has taken a proactive step by being the first to build a carbon dioxide neutral factory. The facility in Umea for instance has a proven track record as the industry’s first facility to have the lowest solvent emissions. Volvo Trucks has also renewed all its trucks in the 2012 and 2013 productions to comply with the Euro 6 engine requirements.
The recent successes of Volvo Trucks in selling this huge quantities of trucks are attributable to the way the company has brought its B2B business to the point that it has become the envy of its counterparts around the world. Volvo Trucks has engaged the Swedish advertising agency Forsman & Bodenfors to promote its trucks using dramatic stunts. Forsman & Bodenfors is using extreme stunts like a man walking on a tightrope that crosses between two speeding trucks to the epic splits of Jean Claude Van Damme. The goal was to demonstrate the quality of Volvo Trucks produces.
The advertisements were effective as shown by millions of views earned by the videos. People became aware of of the brand of Volvo Trucks, especially among drivers of suburban cars and highway trucks. Volvo Trucks’ move certainly changed the landscape of how trucks should be marketed nowadays.