Volvo Makes Music With Cars and YouTubers To Attract Younger Buyers
Volvo has a little bit of a buyer problem right now. As Automotive News noted and J.D. Power data shows, the average age of buyers for one of the brand’s best-selling models is on the older side — around 60 years of age. To put into perspective why that’s a problem for Volvo, that average is around a decade older than Buick’s average buyer age. And that’s a brand that used to have some of the oldest buyers in the industry. So, Volvo is trying to reach younger buyers, in a rather…unique way.
The Sounds of the Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid
To be clear, a trying to appeal to the youth, or even using a car to make music, isn’t a first for automakers. In fact, companies often use creative, cringeworthy approaches to reach younger buyers. Chevy for instance had a whole extreme sports/stunt thing when the brand debuted the Sonic compact in the early 2010s. Volvo’s approach, is a little different.
Volvo, in collaboration with a YouTuber by the name of Andrew Huang, created a video that’s essentially Stomp using the XC60 instead of brooms and trash cans. Seriously. The video is just over a minute long and consists of seatbelt clicking, door and hood closing, infotainment system beeps, etc.
Volvo’s head of marketing ,Leigh Moynihan, called the video a unique way of reaching audiences. “We wanted an opportunity to see if we could create a new piece for XC60 that could introduce our audience in a new and engaging way to the different features of the car,” she said. And if the automaker is really trying to reach younger audiences, they’re going about it the right way. At least as far as the platform is concerned. Moynihan says that using Huang’s YouTube channel as a platform for the video gives the brand access to a “target market of 25- to 44-year-olds. Huang’s subscribers are between 25 and 34 years old.”
The video went up on August 30 and has nearly 35,000 views so far. A lot of the comments are positive. Time will tell though if this all translates into younger foot traffic in dealers to check out and later purchase the XC60.
