Volvo Advertising Giveaways Are High On Demand

Volvo had its first advertising giveaway enter the market in the early 1930s, and as time passed it released several attractive collectibles, which are still highly appreciated on websites and trade fairs worldwide (sometimes even selling at out-of-this-world prices).

A matchbook from 1935 with a picture of a Volvo PV 36 – also known as the Carioca – in gold print is today a true rarity for a collector.

In fact, most of the vintage advertising giveaways were centered on the smoking habit, from matchboxes, lighters, ashtrays and even pipes, continuing with crystal and china items from well-known Swedish makers.

Another category is formed by the lapel badges, followed by a safety pin shaped like an S80 when the model was launched in 1998. Volvo used also the pocket-knife as a common advertising product, but one special version came in the early 1970s, with a discreet Volvo logo on one side and a depiction of the various stages in the painting of a Volvo car on the other.

Pens, key rings, Thermos flasks, watches and caps were other common advertising products that can be found to this day. Of course, the mainstay of the advertising product scene were the model cars of various types and sizes. The very first one came in the mid-1940s when toy manufacturer Brio manufactured models of the Volvo PV 444 in the 1:24 scale. One version was made of wood, the other of metal. And in the early 1960s, the very first pedal-car from Volvo was introduced, a P1800 made of metal.

This evolution led to an entire business area, which was first housed by Volvo, but as it expanded, it was taken over by several companies, from Celero in the 1990s, to Brandon in 2003. The latter was finally acquired by Puma earlier this year, promising a new successful era in Volvo’s advertising giveaways.