Case study
How Volvo came to own safety
Say Volvo and most people think one word. Here is the documented part of how that happened.
- Volvo's founders, Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson, set safety as the guiding principle when the company began in 1927.
- In 1959 Volvo fitted the three-point seatbelt, designed by its engineer Nils Bohlin, as standard in its cars.
- Bohlin's design was patented in the United States in 1962.
- Volvo made the patent open so any carmaker could use the design.
- Volvo still puts safety first in how it describes its own cars.
What this means for you
Volvo did not claim the word with a slogan. It made one choice, kept making it for decades and gave the proof away. Your word works the same way. Pick it, act on it, and let the work show it.