Though VW executives have been hedging, Volkswagen's ten year-old "Drivers wanted" tagline is dead. The new GTI work from new ad agency Crispin Porter +Bogusky, Miami didn't carry it. And neither does the new Jetta ad campaign. And when pressed at last week's New York Auto show, insiders said there's no intention of using the line in any ads this year.
The GTI campaign, the reception of which has been somewhat polarized, just gave way to an effort for Jetta that plays up the car's best-in-industry side impact crash rating. This campaign is startling, featuring real-time crashes that put the side-crash to the test. In one ad, four twenty-somethings are driving after they've seen a movie. The group is talking over whether the two men in the car cried at the ending. As the driver begins pulling out into an intersection, the car gets creamed from the side. No slow motion. Just a wickedly unexpected and realistic devastating crash. The ad cuts to the four people standing outside the car, grasping for breath and realizing how lucky they are.
The GTI campaign, the reception of which has been somewhat polarized, just gave way to an effort for Jetta that plays up the car's best-in-industry side impact crash rating. This campaign is startling, featuring real-time crashes that put the side-crash to the test. In one ad, four twenty-somethings are driving after they've seen a movie. The group is talking over whether the two men in the car cried at the ending. As the driver begins pulling out into an intersection, the car gets creamed from the side. No slow motion. Just a wickedly unexpected and realistic devastating crash. The ad cuts to the four people standing outside the car, grasping for breath and realizing how lucky they are.