Volvo’s charming EX30 unboxing imagines the small electric SUV in a miniature world
AKQA partnered with Volvo to craft the six-minute video, in which Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan gives a playful tour of the vehicle

Editor's Pick
A car as meticulously designed as Volvo’s EX30 deserves marketing that’s equally high level—and AKQA delivers it, in a lighthearted way, with a six-minute “unboxing” video that’s charming from start to finish.
The EX90 is Volvo’s smallest electric SUV, and the automaker—which has always embodied the power of small—celebrates that in style through AKQA’s video. It begins with Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan wheeling a tiny box into an empty white room. The box is barely the size of a large brick. Rowan places it on a table, and soon it unfolds to reveal a pint-size version of the EX30.
It’s clear already that we’re in for a fun ride.
The fairy-tale-like magical realism of the concept, brought to life nicely in the design, makes all the explaining of the product features—usually quite tedious—much more palatable. As visually fun as the piece is, the writing is also sharp and inviting. And as CEOs go, Rowan proves himself to be adept and approachable as well.
The video is part of a larger AKQA campaign that includes physical boxed-miniatures sent to select influencers and an IRL reveal event—designed by AKQA in partnership with Universal Design Studio—with the EX30 surrounded by an oversized Willy Wonka-esque world, where the visitors feel like they’ve been shrunk.
Forthcoming is an ad, developed with with Mill+, that follows a group of friends escaping the city for the countryside in an EX30, with similarly fantastical elements scattered throughout. The spot will be set to the Bettye Swann track “Little Things Mean a Lot.”
“The future of Volvo Cars is shaping up to be incredibly exciting, finding a way forward where we do more with less,” said AKQA chief creative officer Peter Lund. “The EX30 launch event and campaign encapsulates the innovation and commitment to think big with their smallest SUV yet. We are honored to partner with Volvo on bringing the EX30’s small but mighty sentiment to life.”
Credits
- Date
- Jun 07, 2023
- Client :
- Volvo
- Agency :
- AKQA
- Designer :
- Adam Stark
- Creative :
- Fraser Cheetham
- Art Director :
- Andrew Lopez
- Associate Designer :
- Vi Dang
- Production Designer :
- Marika Gröning
- Senior Copywriter :
- Simon Magnusson
- Senior Designer :
- Fernando Lobina
- Senior Motion Designer :
- Doug Higman
- Senior Designer :
- Sam Tablada
- Senior Creative :
- Sebastian Regfeldt
- Senior Creative :
- Jesper Stahl
- Senior Designer :
- Linus Lövbacka
- Senior Designer :
- Eduarda Nieto
- Senior Art Director :
- Shiko Murai
- Senior Art Director :
- Anders Wiberg
- Associate Creative Director :
- David Svedenström
- Associate Creative Director :
- Sergio Faria
- Associate Creative Director :
- Laura Hunter
- Designer Director :
- Ander Hernando
- Creative Director :
- Oliver Duggan
- Creative Director :
- Axel Nygårds
- Creative Director :
- Pierre Saladin
- Creative Director :
- Jon Ward
- Creative Director :
- John Gibson
- Creative Director :
- Sam Haynes
- Group Creative Director :
- Miles Unwin
- Chief Creative Officer :
- Laura Visco
- Global Chief Creative Officer :
- Peter Lund
- Associate Strategy Director :
- Artur Johansson
- Strategy Director :
- Gil Caldwell-Dunn
- Executive Strategy Director :
- Miriam Plon Sauer
- Project Manager :
- Ebba Persson
- Producer :
- Valentina Piemontese
- Account Manager :
- Molly Norton
- Senior Account Manager :
- Nadia Vakhrusheva
- Senior Account Manager :
- Philip Hodgkinson
- Senior Project Manager :
- Vedrana Plestic
- Senior Project Manager :
- Nicolette Romano
- Senior Project Manager :
- Drew Popple
- Project Manager :
- Gaia Mancini
- Senior Producer :
- Pelle Westerback
- Senior Producer :
- John Kershaw
- Senior Producer :
- Josh Riordan
- Associate Program Director :
- Fredrik Stahre
- Program Director :
- Kym Adams
- Production Director :
- Oliver Creamer
- Business Director :
- Rob Gray
- Group Account Director :
- Maja Beckman
- Client Partner :
- Kate Armishaw
- Client Partner :
- Zoe Baker
- User Experience Director :
- Uros Petrevski
- Creative Director :
- Nick Rolls
- Senior Designer :
- Sara Mitrova
- Designer :
- Ellen Hurst
- Designer :
- Niels Hersmann
- Designer :
- Clara Janka
- Designer :
- Ashley Ward
- Designer :
- Alex Geal
- 3D Artist :
- Marta Ferreiro
- Junior 3D Artist :
- Andrea Fogliani
- Freelance Design Director :
- Ivana Sehic
- Freelance Designer :
- Marie Magnien
- Production Partner :
- The Mill
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