New beginning - Volvo | Clapboard Ad Archive

Volvo’s 2015 brand campaign New beginning, conceived by Forsman & Bodenfors, brings together the automotive leader and globally celebrated Swedish producer Avicii in a deft fusion of cultural storytelling and brand purpose. The campaign orbits around a modern reimagining of Feeling Good, chosen at Volvo’s proposal and reworked by Avicii with vocals from Audra Mae, serving as both an emotional centerpiece and a narrative device. The film, shot across meaningful sites in Stockholm and Osterlen, deliberately pulls audiences into Avicii’s real-life story — a period of professional pause and personal renewal following years of relentless touring. Rather than relying on overt automotive persuasion, Forsman & Bodenfors crafts a narrative in which Volvo becomes the silent enabler of new beginnings, expressing through Avicii’s journey a brand philosophy centered upon safety, well-being, and authenticity. By explicitly integrating Avicii’s family and close friends, the campaign subtly conveys the importance of support systems, resonating with a contemporary audience seeking brands with substance beyond the product. Addressing consumers on an emotional and aspirational level, it aligns Volvo’s Scandinavian minimalism and ethos of reliability with the universal appeal of self-reflection and transformation. Strategically, this partnership leverages cultural affinity — Avicii’s international fame and deep Swedish roots channel authenticity, while the film’s cinematic lens on local landscapes evokes national pride without resorting to cliché. Evidencing significant cultural traction, the campaign surpassed 45 million views, illustrating the global resonance of its renewal narrative. In line with Clapboard’s FORMAT#8 — Ongoing Characters or Celebrities — the campaign capitalizes on Avicii’s enduring public persona to build brand recall and contemporary relevance, exemplifying a creative approach that transcends the conventions of automotive advertising. The campaign earns 86/100 in Clapboard's global creative archive. As legacy brands increasingly compete through narrative-led partnerships, New beginning demonstrates how aligning an automotive identity with themes of cultural renewal and personal wellbeing enables differentiation in an oversaturated category.