“WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST”
Everyone is familiar with Volvo. They have been around for over 90 years now, quite a company if you ask me. Its origin is Swedish, yet it's currently owned by Geely, the huge Chinese automotive company.
Volvo is my favorite brand when it comes to acting upon your purpose. You see, a lot of companies/brands have a purpose, and it is usually communicated through their vision, mission, marketing strategy presentations, etc., but only a very, very few act upon that purpose and deliver upon it no matter what the cost.
If I ask 10 people what’s the first thing that comes into your mind when I say Volvo, 9 out of 10, if not 10, would say “SAFETY.” Across the years, the brand has positioned itself as the number 1 go-to car when it comes to safety. If you go to the Volvo website, this is their statement:
Some things get better every day
Our vision is that no one should be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo car by 2020.
Since 1927, when the founders of Volvo Cars decided to focus on safety as one of the company's core values, we have been a leader in the field. That will never change. What will change is the breadth of technologies we employ to improve your driving experience and safety.
You see, a lot of companies go on and write this type of stuff to dazzle their customers, but Volvo has built this in its DNA. Through every thought process that goes into the car, the number 1 driving factor is SAFETY.
In 1952, Volvo even went a step further. Nils Bohlin, an engineer at Volvo, invented the three-point seat belt in 1959. The 1950s were a time when pilots and racing drivers wore harnesses, but seatbelts – if they were fitted in cars – took the form of a rudimentary two-point waist restraint. In crashes, sometimes these did more harm than good. According to Volvo, the three-point seatbelt (what every car has now) is so widely adopted because Volvo opened up the patent so that any car manufacturer could use it in their design. They decided that the invention was so significant, it had more value as a free life-saving tool than something to profit from.
You see, when Safety is truly your purpose, and you as a brand really believe in that purpose, you don't just write it down on a piece of paper or on a PowerPoint presentation, you really have to act upon it, and it will trickle down to the core of your DNA. Tell me one company that would do this right now- not many.
You're probably saying, well, that’s in 1952 buddy, the world is different now; companies are trying to maximize profits for their shareholders, pushing all boundaries, etc... Well, that’s all well and good, companies are supposed to make money, yet that shouldn’t change the purpose. Volvo has also started the E.V.A initiative.
“Accident Research Team has compiled real-world data since the 1970s to better understand what happens during a collision. What Volvo sees is that women and men appear equally in this data. This is why we believe they should be equally represented in testing. With the E.V.A. Initiative, we are sharing the results of more than 40 years of research. By letting everyone download this, we hope to make every car safer. Because at Volvo, we will always put people first.”
It's quite something, isn’t it! It blows my mind every time I read this. WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST! Forty years of research, released for free, to every car competitor in the world! Why? Because Volvo truly lives its core values to the bone, and for that reason, Volvo is my number 1 purposeful brand ever.
Next time you're traveling, rent a Volvo, and you'll safely enjoy the ride :)
I hope you have enjoyed this week's article! For any feedback, comments, or suggested topics you want me to discuss, please write me at shereba@brandmeup.co.
Have a good one.
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