Volkswagen Takes a Trip Back to the 1960s in Nostalgic Ad Saluting Its Free-Spirited Owners

Ah, the 1960s. A time of social upheaval, political unrest and mounting unease about the future. Sounds a lot like 2017, actually. But that doesn't stop Deutsch from portraying the Nixon era as an idyllic age in this spot introducing Volkswagen's People First Warranty: [kickout id="1"] Was that music festival supposed to be Woodstock? Where's the free love? (The action in this VW Atlas ad from a few months back came closer.) "We wanted to celebrate the emotional connection people have to Volkswagen—the soul of the brand and its drivers, their uniqueness, their optimism and their kindness," Deutsch executive creative director Todd Riddle tells Adweek. "This is a story about people putting people first." Those hippies in the ad, titled "Rain," look more like hipsters. They seem too well coiffed and suspiciously sober. "The people who bought our cars have always been good-natured, kind, optimistic and free-spirited. They're the ones who made our brand a cultural icon back in the '60s," says VW director of marketing Greg Tebbutt. "We wanted to celebrate Volkswagen owners, the type of people they are, and position the People First Warranty as our acknowledgement and appreciation of them." Obviously, VW's reputation has suffered some dings in recent years, so harkening back to a supposedly simpler time makes sense, though Tebbutt insists such concerns didn't inform his thinking. "To be honest, that issue wasn't a topic of conversation or motivation for this spot," he says. "As a brand, we've recovered from the sales perspective, and what I want to do with the brand is to remind people why they loved it. This era, and what it captures, plays a big part about why people love our brand. We want to become more relevant and desirable in this market, and tapping into our heritage is just one lever on what we can pull from." Speaking of heritage, director Lance Acord of Park Pictures has a history with VW, serving as cinematographer on the automaker's iconic "Milky Way" spot back in the day. (It's not from the '60s, but close—1999.) Though many viewers will surely go along for the ride, his effort to spin back the years feels a tad too happy-happy, offering a skewed, Hollywood version of a time and place, rather than a convincing evocation of the real thing. In fairness, though, plenty of would-be customers weren't around for the '60s, so their only notions of the decade come from modern media anyway. Plus, the story has its sweet moments, and the presence of classic vehicles—the VW bus is from 1966, and the Beetle from '61—is a plus. But really, playing the woefully overused Joe Cocker version of "With a Little Help From My Friends"? Cosmic bummer! "We looked at hundreds of songs for over a month, and this one kept coming back to us as the one to beat," Riddle says. "It emotionally hits the right note, lyrically hits the right note, and is perfect for the spot's timeline. It was just unbeatable as an option." CREDITS Client: Volkswagen of America Client Credits President, CEO: Hinrich Woebcken Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing: Derrick Hatami Senior Director, Marketing Transformation, Strategy, & Communications: Greg Tebbutt Director, Marketing Communications and Media: Jennifer Clayton Advertising Manager, VW Marketing: Chanel Barresi Brand Advertising Senior Specialist: Tammy Nguyen Deutsch Credits Creative: Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat Executive Creative Director: Todd Riddle Group Creative Director: Heath Pochucha Creative Director/AD: Paul Oberlin Creative Director/CW: Matt Sherman Art Director: Doug Pedersen Copywriter: Tim Gillingham Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo Executive Integrated Producer: Margaret Nickerson Senior Integrated Producer: Samantha Bonom Music Supervisor: Eryk Rich Music Producer: Chase Butters Account Management: Group Account Director: Tom Else Account Director: Alex Gross Account Supervisor: Mary Connolly Senior Account Executive: Nate Pouley Assistant Account Executive: Andy Haumersen Director of Product Information: Jason Clark Product Information Specialist: Ryan Callahan Account Planning: Group Strategy Director: Donn Rohn Associate Strategy Director: Ben Perreira Strategist: Leigh Citarella Business Affairs/Traffic: Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo Group Director, Integrated Business Affairs: Gabriela Farias Senior Business Affairs Manager: Saeyoung Kim Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo Senior Broadcast Traffic Manager: Courtney Tylka Production Credits Production Company Park Pictures Director: Lance Acord Executive Producer: Jackie Kelman Bisbee Executive Producer: Scott Howard Head of Production: Anne Bobroff Line Producer: Caroline Kousidonis Editorial Company Rock Paper Scissors Editor: Adam Pertofsky Assistant Editors: Marjorie Sacks & Martin Hsieh Producer: Dre Krichevsky Executive Producer: Raná Martin Head of Production: Shada Shariatzadeh Managing Directors: Linda Carlson & Jennifer Sofio Hall Post Facility A52 VFX Supervisor: Patrick Murphy CG Lead: Andy Wilkoff, Manuel Guizar 2D VFX Artists: Patrick Murphy, Stefan Gaillot, Kevin Stokes, Michael Plescia, Michael Vaglienty 3D Artists: Andy Wilkoff, Manuel Guizar, Dustin Mellum, Tom Briggs, Mike Bettinardi, Michael Cardenas, Joseph Chiechi Producer: Michael Steinmann Production Coordinator: Andrew Rosenberger Executive Producers: Patrick Nugent & Kim Christensen Managing Directors: Linda Carlson & Jennifer Sofio Hall Color Correction Company 3 Colorist: Tim Masick Global EP, Commercials: Ashley McKim Producer: Alexandra Lubrano Audio / Sound Design Company Barking Owl Sound Designer: Morgan Johnson Mixer: Patrick Navarre Creative Director/EP: Kelly Bayett Producer: Ashley Benton Music (Licensed) Track: "With a Little Help From My Friends" Artist: Joe Cocker Composer: John Lennon and Paul McCartney Publisher: Sony ATV Label: UMG

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Volkswagen Takes a Trip Back to the 1960s in Nostalgic Ad Saluting Its Free-Spirited Owners

When its buses and Beetles became cultural icons

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