A Boring Prologue for Volvo's V90 Flagship

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I received an email a few days ago telling me all about Volvo’s new V90 wagon/estate car. It is one of Volvo’s flagship range cars built on the new SPA platform; itself a chassis where a small to large car can be built from and follows similarity to other brands who have already done the same. The car is made in Sweden and designed to replace the current V70 series. The latest advert/tv commercial that Volvo have produced features famous “Swedish” footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and despite the footballer’s roots being from Croatia and Bosnia, I couldn’t help by wonder if Volvo marketing have got the advert completely wrong. I already asked friends of mine in the UK who are football fans; they are aware Mr Ibrahimovic is NOW being pursued by Manchester United in the UK, which basically means this footballer would no longer be Swedish.. I however do not mind where anyone is from. What I do mind is a rather boring advert that shows a footballer closing his mind off to TV in a room that is predominantly grey and quite conservatively designed. The whole ad from the start shows a depressingly grey morning. We even get to see a rectangular and angular sink, no doubt to place a memory of design that can be translated to the new Volvo V90. Except I really don’t understand why Volvo have bothered with this "Prologue". For a car this important, the first few seconds of any commercial to promote a new product is crucial; this ad left me turning off from the voice over provided by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. If he’s a footballer, wouldn’t it have been better to show off the capacity fill of the back of the car? Or luxury in the way that Volvo have promised with the interior of the V90? Does this prologue entice me to see more? NO! Instead, we have a commercial showing a typical day for a famous footballer going to work. The car floats through grey, dark streets early morning with a very subtle strip of colours at sunset in the sky and what looks like cheap gold paper flying behind the car (why?) We get to see a few football fans cheering (yay, finally some colour!) and allowing the car to go through before it disappears at the football stadium, with Volvo’s trademark rear light stacks lit at the back of the car. Yes it is subtle and it will probably win the fans of the footballer concerned. But for a car this important for Volvo and for a car that replaces the old V70 series, Volvo really need to get their finger out to reinforce their new style as well as how important the V90 really is. (c)Nar2/crystalvisions2016. See what you make of it yourself: