Few marketers get the chance to create an auto brand from scratch. But Åsa Borg is seizing on that opportunity with Polestar, a five-year-old Swedish premium electric vehicle startup that jumped on the big stage this year with a no-nonsense Super Bowl ad that took on the stunts and celebrity-filled ads favored by its competitors.

“It has no legacy like some of the other car brands. We were born an electric car company with the right values from the start,” Borg said.

Polestar, which has a design-focused, minimalist approach, was founded by Volvo Cars and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2017 before later becoming independent. Borg took the chief marketing officer job in 2020 after holding various roles at Volvo Group. The Super Bowl spot ranked first in search engagement for the game, according to EDO. “We are such a young brand with very low awareness, but we are at the same time expanding quickly around the world,” Borg said.

What advice would you give your younger self? 

You are OK, and you are doing good. I think the balance between the constant strive to improve, never being satisfied and always trying to do more can come at an expense of not appreciating or celebrating achievements. At least I am a bit better these days.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?   

I believe creating strong communication often comes with a certain risk—to have the edge in terms of content, messages, collabs or even the investment itself. Balanced and responsible risk-taking is key. A lot of the campaigns we have done over the years have sometimes had several of those ingredients, but I find it difficult to rank one as the biggest. In the context and at the time they were all high-risk.

If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing and why? 

I ask myself that every now and then, but haven’t really got a good answer, to be honest. For me, it is important to work for a company with a strong purpose that improves the society we live in, so I am really proud to be part of the Polestar journey and the super ambitious sustainability agenda we drive. I also like to create and see results, so it feels like I am in a very good place. 

What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks? 

Spread the word. I take all the opportunities I can to promote all the high-performing women around me. I have worked with so many super impressive women from all over the world and I think it at least starts with that support of each other, and then there are of course structural changes to be done as well.

What is the biggest lesson you have taken away from the pandemic? 

That it is possible to launch a brand, a car and new markets while working remotely. However, having the team back in the office and to finally meet colleagues from around the world and see the interaction and even sound of people coming together to be creative is amazing.