It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 13 years since we were introduced to VW’s “New Beetle,” aka the vehicle that saved Volkswagen from years of declining sales. Boosted by a worldwide ad blitz that featured work from, among others, the agency that introduced the original Beetle 30 years prior (DDB), the “New Beetle” continued on its predecessor’s legacy of being a vehicle that found great success as a direct result of focused, innovative marketing.
The new challenge for VW’s numerous agencies around the world is re-introducing a Beetle with a new, “aggressive” look. As we can see in the above spot, the 2012 Beetle comes with a spoiler and a leather racing-style interior, an attempt at making it more appealing to testosterone-riddled men who wince whenever they see a bright yellow Beetle with a vanity plate that reads “MI BUG” in the next lane over. For Omincom-owned Red Urban Canada, this meant marrying new technology with high-flying stunts in a campaign called “Juiced Up.”
Of course, an augmented reality campaign in an outdoor space needs an environment where people aren’t risking being knifed to death and robbed every time they whip out their iPads in public. So, good thing Red Urban had friendly urban environments like Toronto’s Dundas Square and various places in Montreal and Vancouver to make their “Juiced Up” happen. With a campaign of this magnitude happening up north, something that no doubt has agency creatives across the globe scrambling to come up with the next great augmented reality campaign, it’s going to be interesting to see if Deutsch can match Red Urban for the Beetle’s U.S. launch (after all, the “Black Beetle” teaser from the Super Bowl can’t be everything, right?). Until then, this will be the campaign that everyone will be talking about–well, that and the Jetta “Art Heist” work. Credits after the jump.
Agency: Red Urban Canada
Creative Director: Christina Yu
Writers: Matt Syberg-Olsen, Jon Taylor
Art Directors: Damian Simev, Liam Johnstone
Producers: Andrea Hull, Sam Benson
Account Director: Nicole Milette
Tech Consultant: Joe Dee
Production: Pixel Pusher
Animation/Design: Bully! Entertainment
Video Director/Editor: Tyler Williams
Billboards (Atrium at Bay and 10 Dundas St. West): Clear Channel