Volkswagen Ad Campaign

Volkswagen currently has what I think is a rather impressive ad campaign coming to a television near you. There are a few variations to the spot, but each one has the same basic premise. Two people, blissfully going about their daily business, having a playful argument, or a casual conversation when their car becomes the subject of a full-speed accident. Volkswagen goes out of their way to get the viewers attention, delivering a shocking payoff that Jerry Bruckheimer would be proud of (is he German?). The viewer is momentarily horrified by the air-bag deploying intensity of the accident presented. But, just as quickly as they were jolted into this state, they are rescued by a scene providing the realization that the passengers whom you were just riding with are...okay. Shaken, but okay, and now safely reviewing the aftermath. They punctuate the mood for the audience with a comment such as, "Holy...". The piece ends with the battered car rotating in a stylized display with the tagline, "Safe Happens" accompanied by a five-star crash rating header.

I find this campaign compelling because of the impressive combination of strategy and tactical delivery. Volkswagen is clearly trying to insert safety as a primary, rather than secondary, component of the car-buying decision. The intensity of the dramatization provides a convincing argument; safetey is no longer a "nice to have" feature, and with Volkswagen, it comes standard.