As the owner of not one but two volkswagens, and former advertising agency research drone, I pay attention to VW ads.
But the new campaign (entitled "Safe Happens") grabs me by the throat, and the stomach, and the heart. Woah!
No doubt you've seen the new ads. People are driving along in a VW having a normal conversation when suddenly they are slammed by another vehicle. There is a brief blackout after which we see that all the characters are okay. One of them starts to speak but we cut to the title card "Safe Happens!"
Slate has a review of the ads. They give the campaign a "B," even while claiming that the "execution is remarkable."
I think the ads are great! Their stark originality makes them stand out from everything else. As the next ad comes on, you're still thinking about that VW commercial... and that, folks, is true advertising brilliance. We used to call that "cutting through the clutter." It matters not whether you cut through it in a happy, maudlin, or terrifying way, just so you cut through that clutter of advertising messages.
These ads do that. In fact, the element of terrifying surprise helps the ads to pretty much burn the clutter to cinders. And they look great too, which always helps.
Good work VW. Now about that MAF sensor in my Cabrio...
technorati: safe happens
No comments:
Post a Comment