Volkswagen’s Fast mascot wins Cannes’ Grand Prix

The first-ever Grand Prix for promotions was presented at the Cannes International Advertising Festivato Crispin, Porter + Bogusky for a viral-marketing campaign for Volkswagen of America.

Twenty eight other campaigns-three of them from the U.S.-won Promo Lion awards in the first year that Cannes has extended the iconic advertising competition to promotion marketing.

Miami-based Crispin Porter won VW’s full advertising and marketing account in December. Its Grand Prix-winning campaign supported the launch of VW’s GTI MK V, targeting young male car aficionados ("tuners"), especially GTI fans.

Crispin Porter used that input to design a character, Fast, that appeared in TV spots and became a gift-with-purchase premium: Consumers who bought a GTI got one of 17,000 vinyl Fasts, with a care-and-feeding manual and four interchangeable tails.