LET’S GO FOR A DRIVE: DDB SYDNEY CREATES NEW BRAND PLATFORM FOR VOLKSWAGEN – ITS FIRST BRAND CAMPAIGN IN SEVEN YEARS
Experiencing the joy of driving is the inspiration behind DDB’s new brand campaign for Volkswagen Group Australia, that goes to the core truth of the experience of driving a Volkswagen. The creative concept is centred around the simple life of a lighthouse keeper working and living on an island.
With little reason to drive his car around the small island, it is the mail delivery that gives him the opportunity to get behind the wheel of his Volkswagen and experience the joy of driving.
The brand campaign is Volkswagen’s first in seven years and introduces a new and enduring brand platform for the automotive company and the platform ‘Let’s go for a drive’ that is led by the power of television for brand building and emotional connection.
The brand campaign is so important for Volkswagen because it focused the company with a North Star and will build in more desirability and feeling into the brand given the competitive market dynamics with new entrants and product volatility. Film is a key storytelling vehicle to build this emotion.
Directed by award-winning and renowned Australian commercial director Steve Rogers from Revolver, the new campaign draws inspiration from the creative philosophy where the creative idea and execution is as important as the message.
DDB Executive Creative Director, Matt Chandler said working with an iconic brand such as Volkswagen needed an innovative concept that would go beyond the functional and that with Volkswagen, the experience of spending time in a quality car is something everyone deserves to experience.
“It’s not every day you get the opportunity to develop work for such an iconic brand that has such a rich heritage of advertising. With all that past work in mind, we wanted to tell a very simple story, beautifully. One that brings to life the simple joys of taking even the shortest drive. We’re very proud of this little tale and very fortunate to have brought it to life with such great clients and production partners.”
Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles Managing Director, Michal Szaniecki said the company had complete faith in DDB’s bold yet simplistic approach to the campaign: “There are great synergies between DDB and Volkswagen, both in the present and in years gone by, and we have seen that play out throughout the development of this campaign.
“We felt a connection to the creative concept from the beginning and felt it spoke directly to who we are as a brand and how we want people to feel when driving our cars. We are incredibly proud of the outcome and the way it represents the experience of driving with Volkswagen.”
DDB Creative Partner, Jenny Mak said that working with Volkswagen ignited a depth of creativity among the team to ensure they conveyed the transformative power of driving a Volkswagen, and that needed to come across in the campaign.
“Great cars don’t just take you somewhere, they make you feel something. And some cars simply do it better than others. There’s a transformative power that comes from spending time in a quality car, and it’s a power everyone deserves to experience. The brand campaign is offering an invitation to people to remember what driving can be – an invitation that says – “let’s go for a drive”.
In 2024, the Volkswagen Group will launch numerous new models on the market, including many all-electric vehicles such as the Volkswagen ID.4, ID.5 and the ID. Buzz.
The TV campaign is running nationwide and is supported by out-of-home, digital & social.
Agency: DDB
National Chief Creative Officer – Stephen de Wolf
Executive Creative Director – Matt Chandler
Creative Partner – Jenny Mak
Associate Creative Director – Simon Koay
Associate Creative Director – Steven Hey
Head of Brand Performance – Michael Sinclair
Senior Strategist – Tom Witcombe
Head of Integrated Content – Adrian Jung
Senior Producer – Liz Nunan
Managing Partner – Nick Russo
Senior Business Director – Nicole Drabsch
Client: Volkswagen Australia
Managing Director – Michal Szaniecki
General Manager Marketing and Product – Ralph Beckmann
Brand Communications and Sponsorship Specialist – Peter Perivolarellis
Production Company: Revolver
Director – Steve Rogers
Managing Director/Co-Owner – Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer/Partner – Pip Smart
Producer – Caroline Kruck
DOP – Simon Duggan
Production Designer – Steven Jones-Evans
Edit House: Arc Edit
Editor – Jack Hutchings
Post Production: Alt VFX
Post Supervisor – Jay Hawkins
Colourist – Trish Cahill
Sound House: Rumble
Sound Design – Tone Aston
87 Comments
….move along.
..watching paint dry.
Good to see VW back doing full-length TV commercials. Would be great on the big cinema screen too. Great direction Steve Rogers.
Impeccably shot, spectacularly stupid.
Gorgeous insight.
What?!
Beautiful insight. Lovely storytelling.
Simple, charming, beautifully crafted.
Congratulations to all involved.
A fun line at the end there, but I’ ve got to think there were much, much better ideas for how to get there than this
Lovely! Yes Dr Koay
More of this please. Classic storytelling, beautifully done.
Nice idea, beautifully executed. Avoids all the cliches of good looking couples and windy roads. Best car commercial from these shores in a long time.
Congrats, Wolfey and team. In a world of fast-paced, snackable bollocks this spot gives everyone space.
Beautiful. Lovely stuff. The story, casting, acting and direction… what a treat! Well done to all involved.
It’s so hard to get an idea up for a car spot. Congrats Ste and Si. Good on VW for making something that makes you smile.
Nice one Steve and Simon!
Lovely stuff Stemon
Great stuff.
Well done Steve and Steve snd Si.
Nice car, shite ad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U9I7QrpSkk
Turned out lovely guys. Well done.
Isn’t it just a delight to just sit and watch a proper car ‘ad’ again.
I hope this works wonders for VW and reignites the car category.
Very watchable, beautifully shot, but I just don’t buy the truth at the end of it.
What would you drive if you didn’t need to? Certainly wouldn’t be a VW.
Well done. It’s truly hard to get anything resembling an actual idea up for VW these days, I’m sure many of the critics in this comment section haven’t looked at the absolute shite they’re producing overseas.
The only comment would be that the subtlety is a little too smart for its own good.
It’s also kind of boring? Is that crazy to say?
Well done Simon and Steve. Nice idea and execution.
It is so obvious you are also @asexcitingas
(A) you are jealous because you are no longer welcome at DDB, if you ever were. And
(B) You don’t know great work when you see it.
Lol.
Great artists never let their ego get in the way. Stay vulnerable.
60 would have done it.
Well done to all involved.
That Frog King ad is tackling wayyy bigger societal issues that relate to the VW legacy than this.
This feels like wallpaper compared to the Super Bowl statement.
This was better and a stronger insight – done by VW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U9I7QrpSkk
Get angrier
Let’s go for a drive. I guess it’s better than ‘It works’.
Brilliant
@bobthebuilder Undeniably. One of my favourite all-time ads. Such deft direction and execution.
Very good!
The negative comments above are trash. Have you seen current car advertising in Australia? It’s awful most of the time.
This was intelligent. And cute.
Well done folks at DDB.
It’s astonishing that despite environmental concerns, VW is promoting driving for 200 meters over walking.
Population: That guy
Agree. It says passion for the drive in a timeless, unrivalled and single minded way.
To me, this is mixed up with the ‘any excuse to drive’ insight. Not as pure and simple.
If I didn’t need to drive, I wouldn’t drive.
Didn’t know we were allowed to make ads like this anymore.
Very brave for the car maker that will be forever remembered for the large scale emissions tests cheating …
let’s ride baby. We need more story telling ideas.
I am so sick of people like you.
What a spot, what a couple of legends. Great stuff Steve and Si.
…but the idea is average and the story is just dull.
Isn’t that the job of a director, to engage in the audience and improve on the idea! Nicely shot is what you meant…
Yeah let’s push people to do unneccessary car journeys, further clogging up our cities with 2 ton metal boxes containing one person. EV or petrol, spectacularly idiotic strategy. ‘Drive less’ or ‘make each journey matter more’ would have been more interesting.
It’s no doubt an electric VW and obviously doesn’t go far.
Though do hope he’s not relying on solar as it looks a bit bleak-wherever he is.
Hell yeah Hey and Koay
What’s with the red herring of the gas running out? I thought that’s what the boat would bring. Was that supposed to be the ‘haha’? That he didn’t need to drive, it wasn’t for a heavy gas bottle, it was just mail? Well wtf is he gonna do without the cooking gas? Maybe he’ll cook over burning letters. Guess I can’t relate to the lifestyles of lighthouse loners well enough to get this ad.
It’s cute but not really saying much?
Are you actually serious?
Reading the dumb as shit negative comments on this makes me think this could be an incredible industry if it weren’t for the people. Give yourselves an uppercut.
Fünf Mark die Woche musst du sparen, willst du im eigenen Wagen fahren
Nice one lill bro, Steven and the folks at DDB. Miss being able to make nice films like this in HK.
This is meant to make me want to buy a car?
Ah dear Junior. Can’t you see from your more seasoned peers above, advertising has nothing to do with creating the desire to buy something. It’s all about making a 90 second ‘Film’ that impresses your colleagues. If you want people to actually buy your car, you’d do advertising like the agencies did for the Triton, the DMax, the F150 and countless others. No no no. One day you’ll learn, dear junior, a perfectly lit front three quarter shot is no substitute for a lingering shot of a fish frying.
Oh, you’re the guy who keeps soundtracking car ads with 80s soft rock.
Honestly, that’s one of the bleakest comments I’ve ever read on this blog. It’s the combination of your banal cynicism and the blind confidence in your ill-informed view of what we do and how it works that really depresses. May there be no actual juniors in your vicinity.
My view is vastly superior. Always has been. Always will be. The Junior, and I, know. The only thing sizzling in this spot is the fish.
Brand personality. Engage the viewer. Delight and entertain. TV commercial. Jeez, don’t overthink it.
You are the junior.
No doubting this is beautifully shot, but it’s far too indulgent in telling the insight.
Obviously the agency has come out in force to pump this one up with Kudos, to which a small portion is merited.
Kudos to encouraging a brand to show bravery with a slower less product focus story.
Kudos to the execution and craft.
Kudos to the trying and putting out something different.
But let’s not get caught up in our own bullshit, as this is a lot weaker then it presents.
The impeccable craft and execution is masking the flakey connection to the insight.
This does more for coastal destinations and paint then it does for the car.
With courage like this from the client, there was a far bigger opportunity here, if this doesn’t perform it will only detract clients from this kind of bravery.
Hopefully it does, and there are metrics to back it up as the craft is beautiful and the intention is solid.
6/10
Simon and Steven have nailed it. Sick Banshees vibes without overdoing it.
Got me excited about advertising!!
…is the sound of the insight going over my head. I like to think I’m normally relatively quick on the uptake, but I am slightly confused by the endline “What would you drive if you didn’t need to?”. Does this mean you drive so infrequently you want to appreciate the drive, albeit brief? It is definitely a beautifully crafted spot, just not sure the line lands it.
I know we’re prob supposed to admire this as being ‘brave’ or whatever, but…
‘What would you drive if you didn’t need to.’
He doesn’t need to drive? Why not? Because it’s short enough to walk? It’s not that short – he’s old and it’s uphill, and it looks cold.
Not hating, just considering
Bet –
This’ll be one of those pieces of work that we ad folk will talk a lot about, and then when it doesn’t do well in the award circuit, will go quietly into that goodnight and never be spoken of ever again.
There is an idea in there, but to me, it feels as though this spot was made for the industry. Ordinary punters will likely see the cutdown and not understand why this crazed psychopath only waits for his mail to arrive to venture out in the car he doesn’t need. If he loves it so much why doesn’t he just drive around his little island in it? Or better yet, get himself a Jeep or a Jimny and explore the whole island instead of his driveway. Is this spot going to sell a lot of VW’s? We’ll see…
Having worked on this brand (a few years ago) I imagine it would have been very hard to get across the line. It’s beautiful storytelling and probably what the brand as a whole needs if the new brand platform is set up for, but will it get people making inquiries on VW’s that move their lofty metrics, probably not. I wish it was in my reel though. Well done.
Being subjected to commercials does not make a viewer a gambler.
Look it up.
Saw this ad. Immediately popped down to Bunnings for some paint then stopped by the fish market for a nice fresh Halibut. Drove past VW Leichhardt on the way home but for the life of me couldn’t think of a reason to pull in.
If it’s an ad for their new (in Australia) EV fleet they sure don’t seem to want to even hint at it. You’d think they’d be more proud of this? I tend to agree with the others who said it – this comes across more as a film for ad people than real people. It is beautifully shot though.
This is gorgeous, well done to everyone involved.
Lovely pace. Very rare feeling to it, which is an achievement. Well done.
Why does everyone rip each other to shreds? Did your mothers not love you? Why are you all so damaged?
What a beautiful spot. Nice work Jmak!
What a suck up
I hope the gas running out on the hob makes the 9×16 social
What a great Ad. Just had to let you know I hope it works well for VW. I remember living in the Country we had to drive for miles to an old milk tin ( our letter box ) How we waited for the metal flag to be raised by the posty to advise ‘ you got mail ‘ This chappy in the Ad.
reminded me of old but good times when we waited a week for any signs of life (ie: the posty and his letters) Contact with the outside world at last. The VW Car caught my eye and I have now made inquiries. As I say great Ad. in more ways than one.
You must be joking.
Nobody will make enquiries about this car because of this lame ad.
Nice one Steve and Simon. A classic.
Where was this advertisement filmed as trying to identify the lighthouse?
Great ad. Where is the lighthouse?
Like the ad very quirky
Fantastic ad depicting good old fashioned, laid-back Aussie character of the lighthouse keeper, in what no doubt, would be a very uncomfortable lifestyle conditions, but against all the odds, he persisted & finally won by jumping into his VW for a short drive. Hopefully we can get some feedback to confirm where this island is located.