Creative Minds: Why Volvo's 'The Ultimate Safety Test' is Myeongjae Song's favourite campaign

In Creative Minds, we ask APAC creatives a long list of questions, from serious to silly, and ask them to pick 11 to answer. (Why 11? Just because.) Want to be featured?

Name: Myeongjae Song

Origin: Daejeon, South Korea

Places lived/ worked: Seoul, South Korea

Pronouns: He/him

CV:

Copywriter, DDB Korea, 2022-present
Copywriter, OrangeClock, 2018-2022

1. How did you end up being a creative?

I've been interested in marketing since I was a college student, so I started looking for various lectures and talks and discovered advertising. After that, I joined an advertising company by getting involved in various activities and writing applications and have been working as a copywriter ever since. Looking back, I started because the creativity of ads that looked great and captivated people. 

2. What's your favorite piece of work in your portfolio?

I don't have a favourite yet, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be the Coca-Cola 2019 campaign ‘Tastes That Bring Us Closer’ which was the first time my copy idea was accepted and brought to life on screen since I started working.

At the time, the client, Coca-Cola, was still dominant in the market but were very aware of the influx of new soda competitors. So we decided they needed a fresh take on the brand, and we wanted to create a new Coke moment by adding "food" to the existing two keywords of "people" and "exhilaration". We guided the creative accordingly, positioning Coca-Cola as the connection that brings people together during a meal with family, friends and colleagues and delicious food.

3. What's your favourite piece of work created by someone else?

We see a thousand pieces of work every year, so it's hard to pick one favourite. But if I had to, it would be Volvo's "The Ultimate Safety Test."

This 2021 fake-documentary style video campaign from Volvo begins with the story of Volvo, a company synonymous with safety in the automotive industry, undergoing an extreme safety test. About halfway through the video, a nearby glacier is shown melting and collapsing just as the car is about to be dropped from a height of 100 feet in the polar regions. The video ends with copy that reads, "Climate change is the ultimate safety test" and "that's why we're changing to all-electric, starting today.”

I love this piece for two reasons. First, at a time when many automakers are converting their traditional cars to electric vehicles, it makes a compelling case for why they're doing so. Here, they’re not saying it's for the good of nature, but by showing the direct impact of climate change.

Second, it's brilliant and I love the fact that they took advantage of the "Volvo=safety" perception that's already imprinted in the minds of consumers and created a fake-documentary style campaign as if it were one of their real safety tests.

4. What advice would you give to 10-year-old you, if you could?

Play harder, live crazier!

Looking back, there's nothing more important at that age than having lots of friends and sharing lots of different experiences, because any kind of life experience is beneficial when you’re growing up—even if it means just having fun. 

5. What really motivates you?

Meaningful challenges that resonate with my passions and values are one of my primary motivations. When I encounter projects that I can truly connect with, I'm driven to deliver the best results. In instances where I might not immediately relate to a task, I tend to seek guidance from colleagues or superiors, as their input often helps me find new inspiration and stay engaged.

6. What’s your favorite music, film, TV show or book of the past year, and why?

The movie 'Decision to Leave' by a famous Korean director Chan-wook Park was very memorable. There have been times that I get bummed out when a great movie comes to an end and this was one of them. It was a film that didn't have any weak points and I thought it was perfect: the storyline, the emotions of the characters, the mise-en-scene, etc. Personally, I would say that it is probably some of Chan-wook Park’s best work. I highly recommend it!

7. What's your favourite GIF/meme, and why?

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Hama-House ���� (@hamahouse)

This is my favourite meme, it's so relatable to my line of work. I internally shed a tear whenever I see it because it perfectly captures the ebbs and flows throughout the working week - from collaborating with coworkers to feedback from clients as well as the support from producers.

8. What app could you absolutely not live without? What app do you wish you could delete?

This is an easy question. I can’t live without YouTube and the one I can delete is Outlook, because business emails!

9. Do you have a catchphrase?

This too shall pass. It's a phrase we've all heard at one time or another: don't be too complacent when you're happy, but don't be too frustrated when you're sad. It's a sentence that gives us strength to live.

10. What makes you really happy?

There's nothing like catching up with an old friend, laughing and chatting. As we get older, we all have our own social lives, but when we meet up with old friends, it's like we're taken back to our childhood, laughing, and talking, and the time just flies by. We can repeat the same stories every time we meet up, we can be a little silly, and we can laugh at the silliest of jokes.

11. Early riser or night owl?

I'm a night owl. I simply love nighttime, that's when all the interesting things in this world happen.