Volvo cars Australia is changing advertising tactics, previous strategies used in Australia in the past ten years have failed to Volvo's image problem. Volvo drivers in Oz are considered lousy drivers and the boxy cars are dismissed as favored by people who know they are lousy drivers and need a car that can handle accidents.
The new ads show people doing stupid things, such as bumping into people's shopping trolleys or swerving slightly across traffic - ending with the tag "Bloody Volvo drivers" and "Volvo for life".
Neil Shoebridge at the age in Oz writes; "The 'Bloody Volvo drivers' campaign does not give consumers any reason to include Volvo on their new-car shopping list. It might, however, inspire some people to add the Volvo name to another list. That list would be headed Cars to avoid, or, the silliest ad campaign of 2003. "