Hasta La Ideas

In order to try and make a ‘YouTube hit’, Volvo Trucks’ president Claes Nilsson has taken the role of stuntman in the brand’s latest online ad…

The film, created by Forsman & Bodenfors, opens with Nilsson, clad in hard hat, talking directly to camera about the strength of the front towing hook on the new Volvo construction truck. As the camera pans back, it becomes obvious that this is no ordinary ad however, as Nilsson is revealed to be standing on a truck hanging 20 metres above the water in Gothenberg harbour. Yikes.

The ad was shot for real, with Nilsson obliged to spend almost two hours standing on the front panel of the truck that had been hoisted above the water to get the right take. “It was fairly cold – about 8 degrees above zero – and the wind was blowing about ten metres a second, so my hands got pretty cold after a while,” he says. “But it all went very well. Safety was 100 per cent all the way, so I was never really afraid.”

The film is the latest stunt ad from Volvo Trucks. Last summer they released a spot that saw stuntwoman Faith Bickey tightrope walking between two moving trucks (see CR write up here). The addition of Nilsson as amateur stuntman is a nice touch though, and makes the ad feel like the love child of wacky old 70s product demo spots such as this one for Solvite wallpaper paste…

… and classic ads featuring the company boss, such as this gem for Remington:

Volvo Trucks apparently have more ads in the pipeline – here’s hoping Nilsson continues to make an appearance.

Credits:
Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors
Director: Filip Nilsson
Production company: Folke Film