Volkswagen Does the Tango

I don't know about you, but I'm about saturated with car ads. Just how many different ways can you show me how fast, how tough, how safe, how comfortable, how elite, or how powerful a car can be. Every time I see a traditional car ad, I think about the wasted ad budget that went into creating and airing that ad.

Oh, don't get me wrong ... there are certainly times that auto makers have found a way to break through the clutter. I've previously blogged about the Honda Civic chorus and the Volkswagen Jetta ads and their ability to serve up cars in a whole new light.

So, when an auto maker finds a way to tell the viewer about their new auto in a truly disruptive way, I really listen.

Such is the case with the new campaign from Volkswagen for its new Polo.

Let's be honest here - if the above print ad is all I saw, I wouldn't really have reason to pause and contemplate what the Polo has to offer. After all, what automobile hasn't told us they are tough or beautiful, right?

But, VW really broke through the mainstream when they launched the Polo TV campaign.  Through the art of the tango, they bring a sense of tough and alluring intrigue to the brand. There is no mention of the sponsor of the ad until the final seconds, when your eyes first feast on the new VW Polo.  Instead, you are drawn into the fluidity of the dancers, the promise of passion, and the sensual tension between the two dancers.

Throughout this ad, you occasionally find yourself wondering ... what is this? Who is this ad for?  And then, the payout. Three words flash on the screen. Tough. Beautiful. Polo.  Just like the tango dancers.

Thanks to Creativity Online for sharing this terrific ad with me.

Volkswagen: Another Day, Another Dollar

Volkswagen has created a new TV ad that speaks to the affordability of its Jetta. The viewer watches a young man take ridiculous job after ridiculous job, all with the plan of saving enough money to buy his very own Jetta. At the end of the ad, he is proudly washing his new Jetta, with a license plate that declares, MINE! 

Ah, but wait! There is one last photo opportunity ... the camera pans out and you see a second Jetta in the driveway, with a MINE2 license plate. 

I really enjoyed this ad and liked the interesting twist on affordability that it presents. 

But, of course my mind wonders to the second Jetta and I wonder ... did he really need to take that nude modeling job or to be a rodeo clown running for his life? Wasn't one new Jetta enough? I mean, just how greedy can one guy be?