Volvo built its brand in the U.S. with some of the most informative, honest and even entertaining print ads the auto industry has ever produced. A look back reveals much about the brand’s character and integrity.

Volvo arrived in the United States 55 years ago with the 444 model, which looked for all the world like a three-quarter scale 1940s Ford. It doesn't sound like an auspicious beginning, and Volvo executives knew that to attract American consumers, it had to appeal to buyers who could see and appreciate the beauty of the machinery beneath the curiously outdated styling.

The advertising direction the brand would establish by the early 1960s was a stroke of brilliance that went on to build the brand and while at it, cast some light on the deficiencies of mainstream cars. The campaigns appealed to just the kind of owner Volvo needed to succeed – highly educated and analytical and very careful with their money. The result would make a great marketing textbook, and, in fact, you can buy a book about Volvo advertising – Forty Years of Selling Volvo.

Though not updated since it was published in 1995, the book nevertheless provides a unique look at what helped make Volvo not only so successful in this market, but also so influential in safety design.

Interestingly, the early Volvo ads, while addressing safety, focused on, of all things, racing. The early Volvos, because of their inherent toughness and durability, were particularly adept at rally racing. Ads portrayed the 444 and 544 as a “family sportscar with the 100,000-mile reputation.”

Volvo copywriters discovered that prospects responded to advertising that was self-effacing while it humorously poked fun at automotive “norms.” For example, in the 1950s and 1960s, American buyers were accustomed to the “Big Three” changing exterior styling every year, even if the hardware underneath did not change (or even improve). Volvo used this fact to its advantage, satirizing the practice of “planned obsolescence.” Here’s a sample from 1967:

Headline: “Your car is obsolete. Again.”

Copy: “And the irony of it is, a big chunk of the money that you paid for your obsolete car was used to bring out the very cars that made it obsolete. We make a car that hasn’t been given a ‘big new look’ in over nine years…we’ve been putting the money we save by not changing the way a Volvo looks (a fortune in tail fins alone) into improving the way a Volvo works.”

Volvo also used advertising to show how planned obsolescence diminished a car’s value. Consider this sample for the Volvo 122:

Headline: “If you really want to impress someone with your car, tell him it’s paid for.”

The copy pointed out that Volvo cars lasted an average of 11 years in Sweden, also pointing out that road and climate conditions in Sweden were much harsher than in the U.S.

Even as domestic brands were failing to design for safety and promote safety technology, Volvo unabashedly went against the tide and touted its leadership in this area. Years before U.S. regulations required lap belts, Volvo had already been advertising its invention of the three-point seatbelt – the single most important safety advance in automotive history.

Safety, not surprisingly, would remain the foundation of Volvo’s advertising message right to the present.

That’s not to say Volvo couldn’t have a little fun. The P1800 sportscar of the 1960s and the first Turbo models in the 1980s gave it just such an opportunity. The P1800 represented a fairly drastic departure from Volvo’s conservative image though it was based on the 122 hardware.

The 1800 was far less expensive than the high-end sports and GT cars it resembled, but more expensive than the British roadsters that were popular at the time. Volvo put those facts together and for 10 years advertised the 1800 as essentially an affordable sportscar with exotic styling and Volvo toughness. One headline proclaimed: “It’s sort of a souped-down Ferrari.” Another: “Driving isn’t bad for it,” with a photo showing something no Ferrari driver would ever have attempted: driving through a mud puddle.

Going into the late 1960s and 1970s, Volvo ran many ads showcasing owners who had driven their cars to very high mileage, further cementing the brand’s reputation for durability. The Turbo models that arrived in the 1980s required the copywriters to reconcile Volvo’s safety message with the high-performance of these cars. Ads touted zero-to-60 mph times, compared the squared-off sedans to sportscars and even showed Volvos racing again.

The safety message never faded, however, and ads through the decades showcased Volvos subjected to strenuous conditions. One of the more memorable showed seven Volvos stacked atop one another. The concept was first used in 1971 and repeated in 1986 to highlight roof strength.

Advertising for the 700, 800 and 900 models of the 1980s and 1990s reflected Volvo’s push into the luxury realm. The copywriters had another special challenge when the 850 arrived for 1992 because it was yet another major departure from what people expected from Volvo. Drawing on the kind of humor seen in the 1800 sportscar ads, the 850 ads blended a focus on driving pleasure with traditional messages of safety and strength. One headline: “A Volvo Your Kids Will Want to Borrow.”

Volvo. Classic cars. Classic advertising.