A bit of Volvo in every car - cars are drivers of innovation. Hardly any other product strives for more transformation; new standards ensure greater mobility, luxury, and, not least, safety. What has remained unchanged in every car worldwide for generations is the 3-point seat belt, invented by Volvo.
Peter Funch directed the commercial shown here and photographed the campaign for Volvo France, which commemorates Volvo's groundbreaking technical invention, which Volvo immediately shared with the world - meaning other car manufacturers - free of charge as soon as the seat belt was ready for market.
Volvo Car France, in collaboration with the agency VML France, presents a campaign that underscores the company's long-standing commitment to safety: "There's a little bit of Volvo in every car."
The modern three-point seat belt was perfected in 1959 by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin - and his patent was made available to the world free of charge.
"Bohlin’s version of the seatbelt - according to its patent, “effectively, and in a physiologically favorable manner, prevents the body of the strapped person from being thrown forward,” – was effectively gifted to the rest of the industry, and therefore the rest of the world to use, without payment or claims. You can now find it in the majority of vehicles, old and new, regardless of the manufacturer, and its use is enshrined in law around the globe.
Volvo’s long-term vision of reducing accidents involving Volvo vehicles to zero guides the company into the future, with a stream of totally new safety priorities to address. Not least when it comes to groundbreaking technologies like self-driving vehicles - maybe the safest vehicle of the future will have no safety belt at all?
Buckled up or not, one thing is for sure, safety was and always will be Volvo's number one priority." VOLVO.
The campaign has been launched since January 11th, 2026 through a 360 degree media plan by Initiative - IPG Mediabrands. This campaign combines television, BVOD, cinema, traditional and digital out-of-home advertising, press, and an increased presence on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. The production was handled by the agency Birth, Paris.
Peter Funch is represented by the Berlin agency EMEIS DEUBEL.
