This article was originally published in Dutch in 2012 and has been translated and updated in October 2026.
On 5 September 2012, Volvo launched its new Volvo FH Series. According to Claes Nilsson, CEO of Volvo Trucks at the time, the new trucks drive more like a car than a truck. Precision and stability on the road were highlighted as their unique features.
The Ballerina stunt
To support the launch event online, Volvo Trucks made an impressive promotional film. Slacklining world record holder Faith Dickey performs a ballerina stunt to prove the precision and stability of the Volvo trucks: she walks across a steel cable from the roof of one truck to the roof of another, while the two drive side by side down the motorway at 80 km per hour. And for extra tension, there is one more deadly obstacle waiting at the end of the ride. Thrilling stuff!
Stunt video hit 4.8 million views in two weeks
The video was a viral success: it was shared on YouTube on 15 August 2012 and just 14 days later, on 29 August, it had already been viewed more than 4.8 million times, with 2,160 comments (viewers reacting both positively and negatively, to the video and to each other). According to SocialMention.com at the time, the new Volvo FH was being discussed most on Twitter, followed by YouTube and Facebook.
Pull from employees: ‘we want this new truck’
The campaign also generated pull among the ‘end users’ of the trucks. Drivers were happily advising their employers to buy the new model, as one tweet from the time illustrated.
The film was shot on an unopened motorway in Croatia by Hollywood stunt director Peter Pedrero (James Bond, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean) and directed by Academy Award nominee Henry Alex Rubin.
Launch event
The video was a great run-up to the launch event, which took place on 5 September 2012 at 21:00 in Gothenburg, with parallel events in Madrid, Birmingham, Paris, Rotterdam and Brussels. Volvo was well organised online, and the event could also be followed live via its website.
Pull from employees… A new Volvo, please, boss!
Storytelling and B2B and B2C branding
A campaign like this strengthens the brand’s appeal to Volvo’s B2B partners in sectors such as industry and transport, but it certainly also has an effect on awareness and brand value in the B2C sector. Volvo does not just put out the video; it also tells the story behind the stunt and, for example, shows a video of the driver of one of the two trucks watching the stunt film for the first time. And as part of the PR effort, Volvo’s CEO contributes a video of his own.
The video of Volvo Trucks’ ‘Ballerina stunt’
From 1:15 it gets exciting…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXwOoeGzys
Storytelling: how the driver experienced the Ballerina stunt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7SUJyWaqmM
CEO Claes Nilsson is also keen to talk about the new Volvo trucks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh5oah5SEoE
Image credits: Taina Sohlman / Shutterstock.com