A film titled ‘Hitchhike’ features two young men driving down a highway and enjoying peppy music. The person in the passenger seat spots a young woman asking for a lift with a thumbs up sign, and is delighted. He looks towards his friend driving the car, thinking he would stop to offer her a ride. The man at the wheel reciprocates with a thumbs up sign to the lady and drives on. The man in the passenger seat looks on, bewildered. The voice over says, “Enjoy the drive, enjoy the engineering!”
A film titled ‘Reunion’ features a young man attending a reunion with his friend. The protagonist is so clumsy that he ends up with a series of misadventures. However, when the hostess mentions that they are out of ice-cream, he volunteers to fetch it and asks for the keys of the car. His friend hands it to him immediately, implying that he trusts his car. The voice over says, “Enjoy the build quality, enjoy the engineering!”
Avik Chattopadhyay, head, marketing, passenger cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India, said, “We wish to communicate the brand’s core, credible and consistent truth of distinct superiority in the aspects of build quality, safety and drivability. This makes it both valuable and aspirational. Through the demonstration of our engineering that is not cold and industrial - it is engaging and rewarding. Engineering to be enjoyed!”
Sonal Dabral, chairman and chief creative officer, said, “Insightful human stories built around the product truth and that bring a smile to your face. That's what Volkswagen communication is all about. This campaign delivers just that. I'm sure these films will be loved and enjoyed by the audience as much as they enjoy owning and driving a Volkswagen.”
Rahul Mathew, creative head, DDB Mudra, said, “Volkswagen has always put consumers first, in every little thing that they do. Every nut, cog and button strives to make the Volkswagen experience more enjoyable and unique. And it's this honest engineering that makes every Volkswagen car, a pride to own. So when we had to tell our consumers about the engineering; we decided that instead of telling stories from under the bonnet, we'll tell stories from life.”
Besides the TVCs that are airing on GECs, news, infotainment and movie channels, the campaign includes print, digital, and POS legs.
Credits
Client: Volkswagen India
Creative agency: DDB Mudra West
Chairman and chief creative officer: Sonal Dabral
Office head: Rajiv Sabnis
Creative head: Rahul Mathew
National planning Head: Aditya Kanthy
Business head: Anurag Tandon
Executive creative director: Venkatagiri Rao
Creative directors: Ashish Kharwatkar, Mandar Khatkul
Creative team: Ashish Kharwatkar, Mandar Khatkul, Pashyn Sethna, Sandesh Kambli, Swati Ravi Nain, Vinayak Kohli
Account management team: Giridhar Bhat, Shivavrata Sarkar
Account planning team: Mou Roy, Abhinit Agarwal
Films department: Vishal Agarwala