Ad of the Day: Volkswagen

You know what's really freaking cute? Laughing babies. You know what's also cute? Laughing old people. You know what's not quite as cute, but still pretty heartwarming? Laughing anyone. And that's exactly what Volkswagen and Deutsch LA are giving us in this first TV spot in the "Why VW" campaign, appropriately titled "Smiles." The 30-second commercial shows snippets of "real people"—in order of age, from babies to kids to adults to seniors—laughing uncontrollably, with nary a car in sight. The spot's end line, "It's not the miles, it's how you live them," pushes a consumer-over-product message. The idea that a car company can elicit such an emotional response can seem forced, but coming from VW, it doesn't feel inauthentic—the brand has already produced plenty of smiles with a lineup of endearing vehicles (the Beetle, the Bus) and campaigns (from the classic "Think small" series to 2011's "The Force"). In addition to airing the spot during the fall sitcom premieres, VW is hoping to lighten the mood of the current election cycle by making a "significant media buy" on political programming, from the presidential debates (which could really benefit from a few smiling faces) to Comedy Central's Indecision 2012 lineup. The spot points to a new website, whyvw.com, which presents a new way of organizing content—it groups VW content side by side with select consumer content about the brand. It's divided in two sections: Values and Stories. The Values section contains information about VW products, including five short films starring real VW owners that address the company's core values, like quality, safety, value, environment and performance. The Stories section, housed on VW.com and Facebook, features user-generated content and select personal stories shared by consumers. With luck, some of the stories will make your smile, too. CREDITS Client: Volkswagen Executive Vice President, Chief Product and Marfketing Officer: Tim Mahoney Vice President, Marketing: Kevin Mayer General Manager, Brand and Marketing Communications: Justin Osborne Advertising Manager: Jeff Sayen Agency: Deutsch, Los Angeles Chief Creative Officer: Mark Hunter Group Creative Directors: Michael Kadin, Matt Ian Associate Creative Director: Brian Friedrich Senior Art Director: Ryan McLaughlin Art Director: Mike Palese Copywriter: Amir Farhang Executive Integrated Producer: Jim Haight Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo Director of Broadcast Production: Victoria Guenier Associate Director of Business Affairs: Gabriela Farias Production Company: Epoch Films Director: Everynone Executive Producer: Lisa Margulis Head of Production: Megan Murphree Line Producer: Pat Harris Editorial Company: Spot Welders Editor: Haines Hall Assistant Editor: Glenn Teel Executive Producer: David Glean Producer: Shada Shariatzadeh Telecine, Postproduction Facility: Co3 Color: Dave Hussey Online, Visual Effects Company: Method Studios Producer: Stephanie Allis Visual Effects Supervisor: Thomas Downs Music, Composer: Lullatone, Japan Scored, Original Music: Shawn James Seymour Audio Post Company: Lime Studios Mixer: Mark Meyuhas Assistant: Matt Miller Producer: Jessica Locke Additional Deutsch Credits: Account Management Credits: Chief Executive Officer: Mike Sheldon Group Account Director: Tom Else Account Directors: Chris Carter, Monica Jungbeck Account Supervisor: Alex Gross Account Planners: Chief Strategic Officer: Jeffrey Blish Group Planning Director: Doug Van Praet Legal, Broadcast: Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo Broadcast Traffic Manager: Sarah Brennan

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Volkswagen

Automaker goes for smiles with an ad full of laughter and a new content play online

Emma Bazilian

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Emma Bazilian