Volvo Cars of North America, 75th Anniversary Celebration
Winner: 2002 PR News PR Platinum Awards, “Best Media Event”
Winner: 2003 PR Week Awards, “Brand Development Campaign of the Year”

On March 27, 2002, 61-year-old Long Island native and retired science teacher Irv Gordon reached a milestone no other individual has accomplished in the more than 100 years of the automobile: driving two million miles in the same car, a shiny red 1966 Volvo P1800. To mark the occasion, Irv turned the mile driving the car through the heart of New York City on Broadway, cruising up to 44th Street in Times Square, where he was the honored guest at Volvo Cars of North America’s 75th Anniversary Event, held at Times Square Studios, home of ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America.”

Challenge: Demonstrate Volvo’s Brand Values Through Two Million Mile Man

Leveraging Irv’s record-breaking milestone, generate the maximum number of media impressions for Volvo that support the company’s brand messages of “Enjoy Life,” “Long Life” and “Protect Life.”

Solution: Two Millionth Mile Turned in Times Square

Volvo, Haberman & Associates and production partner Fitzgerald Brunetti, Inc. conducted a world-class event in Times Square to draw attention to Irv’s milestone, securing Jon Stewart of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” to serve as host, actor Donald Sutherland (the “voice of Volvo” in Volvo television advertisements) to serve as special guest, and musicians Sugar Ray and Suzanne Vega to serve as musical guests. Haberman negotiated exclusive interview deals with top media organizations before and after Irv’s milestone (i.e., NBC’s Today, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, New York Times, USA Today, CNN and BBC). And, the team secured media coverage for Irv and the event in New York’s largest television, radio and newspaper outlets in the five days preceding the event. Finally, Haberman distributed event invitations to a targeted list of top-tier media and followed up to confirm attendance.

Results: 800 Million Media Impressions, “Product Brand Development Campaign of the Year,” and More

Haberman garnered more than 800 million media impressions for Volvo, with an advertising equivalency of $115 million, a return of more than 550 times greater than Volvo’s original investment. More than 400 media and entertainment executives representing the nation’s largest outlets attended the four-hour, standing-room-only event.

Feedback

Roger Ormisher, Vice President of Public Affairs, Volvo Cars of North America: “Haberman & Associates delivers on integrated campaigns that revolve around human interest stories and brand-building opportunities. This is where their boundless enthusiasm and media outreach is truly displayed. Their work for us on stories as diverse as Irv Gordon show that they can creatively sell ideas that appeal to non-traditional automotive media.”