When Safety Took a Dark Turn — Volvo’s ‘ABC of Death’

Few brands dared to play with darkness and come out brighter on the other side. Volvo did. In 2016, the automotive brand turned an eerie idea into a stunning display of creativity with its campaign “ABC of Death.” It redefined what safety meant—not through clichés, but through clever storytelling that caught the world off guard.

The film took viewers through the alphabet, with each letter revealing a darkly comic fate—A for accident, B for blood, C for crash—each one building tension with twisted humour. As the story reached the letter “G,” a man stepped into traffic, setting up the expected end. But instead of tragedy, the moment turned on its head. Volvo’s safety technology activated, stopping the vehicle in time and flipping the script entirely.

The brilliance lay in the contrast. The ad played with the audience’s expectations, leading them down a grim path before revealing Volvo’s ultimate message: safety could outsmart death—no preaching, no dramatics—just one sharp turn that captured attention and respect in equal measure.

Volvo’s campaign taught that even the most serious message could live within humour, irony, and creativity. Safety had long been the brand’s territory, but this approach showed that communication evolves when emotion and intelligence meet in the middle. By tapping into curiosity and discomfort, Volvo held viewers to the very last frame—a testament to bold thinking and storytelling precision.

The “ABC of Death” film proved that powerful advertising did not always require grandeur. It required courage—the courage to twist norms and still make the audience feel safe in the end. Volvo turned fear into fascination, and safety into art. Few brands could turn death into a conversation about life. Volvo did.