Before the launch of the new S60 model, Volvo wanted to create buzz around the car without showing it to the public yet. What if we showed the car to a single person – who could not see the car either, but would be able to visualize it and share his view with the public?

Enter Esref Armagan, a Turkish artist who was born blind but taught himself to draw and paint in perspective. He was flown to the secretive Volvo Headquarters in Gothenburg to feel the car with his hands and make a painting of it.

Volvo fans on Facebook could request Esref to make drawings of specific car parts, resulting in 7 videos of him drawing them. Esref’s painting would be sold on eBay with proceeds going to the World Blind Union.

A short trailer attracted thousands of viewers and new fans to the Volvo Fan Page on Facebook, discussions were started and the interest only grew when the final documentary was published online.

The Trailer @ YouTube
The final documentary @ YouTube

Concept development & Art direction

Spending a week with Esref, filming his creative process and getting to know him was one of the most heart warming experiences I have ever had in my professional career. His story moved thousands, shaped the public opinion towards Volvo and saw a renewed appreciation for Esref in his native Turkey – and the world.

The Trailer

A simple, elegant trailer was put on YouTube and seeded to bloggers, pointing to the Facebook page. The YouTube video attracted more than 20,000 visitors within the first week.

The Documentary

Fans were able to post questions to Esref for two weeks before the final painting of the new car and the drawings were published on FaceBook.

In short:

It was an awesome experience to have the opportunity to tell Esref’s story and have some real influence on how people perceived him – and Volvo as a brand.