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Volvo Car Malaysia has made history at the 2026 Malaysia Effie Awards, taking home the prestigious Grand Effie, Brand of the Year, and Gold Effie awards for their 'Selamat is Volvo' campaign
The Grand Effie is the competition's top honour, recognising campaigns that demonstrate outstanding marketing effectiveness.
Brand of the Year recognises the brand with the strongest overall performance across the board, while the Gold Effie recognises exceptional effectiveness within a specific category.
At the heart of the Grand Effie winning campaign was a simple word Malaysians encounter every day: "Selamat"
Launched earlier this year, the campaign introduced what appeared to be a mysterious new car brand called Selamat, complete with a bespoke camo wrap, enigmatic digital outdoor displays, and social media channels that sparked speculation.
The reveal showed that it was actually Volvo renewing its 60-year safety promise to Malaysians.
The campaign tapped into the cultural familiarity of the word, which, according to Volvo, is used more than 650 million times across the nation in phrases such as "selamat pagi" (good morning) and "selamat jalan" (goodbye).
Patricia Yaw, Sales and Marketing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia, said the campaign aimed to put human life at the centre of mobility rather than simply adding another safety claim to the automotive conversation
"To receive this level of recognition from the Effies is deeply humbling.
"It shows that when you approach an audience with genuine cultural empathy, that emotional connection naturally translates into meaningful, lasting impact," she said.
Rather than focusing on conventional feature lists and technical jargon, Volvo built the campaign around everyday human experiences and the meaning of protection
According to Volvo, the campaign achieved a measurable response of 90.8%, while reinforcing the association between the two words through the message "Selamat itu Volvo, and Volvo itu Selamat".
The campaign was developed with agency partners including Invictus Blue, Grey Malaysia, Dox Digital, Lab Activations, Directors Think Tank, and Live Experience.
Volvo Car Malaysia also plans to continue the Selamat platform through educational initiatives, immersive experiences, and purpose-led campaigns focused on safer mobility and community well-being nationwide.
