Volkswagen's new TVC: Planning your future, one car at a time

Volkswagen has released a new TVC as part of its first integrated brand campaign in India that aims to increase brand awareness about its four cars - Beetle, Jetta, Passat and Touareg.

Conceptualised and executed by DDB Mudra, the TV spot tries to position the German auto major's engineering finesse in a way that's suited for India.

The ad film opens with a shot of a young kid in a Volkswagen showroom, admiring the Beetle. A salesperson sees him there and offers to help him. The kid asks him whether it would be possible to book a car in advance, for his 18th birthday. The salesperson is caught by surprise, but yet is genuine in his response when he replies that it is certainly possible to book a car. The kid requests him to book a Beetle and the salesperson endorses his choice going on to extol some of the car's virtues.

The kid then walks across to the Jetta and requests that it be booked for his 24th birthday when he turns vice-president. The next shot shows him at the steering wheel of the Passat, saying, "...and this, when I become the CEO." This cuts to a shot where the kid is given a glimpse into the interiors of the Touareg, with the salesperson asserting that it "dominates every road!"

That' when the kid's father comes looking for him. The salesperson informs him that they've been planning the kid's 18th birthday, leaving the kid smiling. The film closes with the super, "German engineering. Made for India."

The film retains the Volkswagen's baseline 'Das Auto' which in German literally translates to 'The Car'. Speaking on the TVC, Lutz Kothe, chief general manager - marketing and PR, Volkswagen India said, "This is a pure brand film which introduces the Beetle and Touareg, besides also keeping the Jetta and Passat in context of their availability in India. Individual TVCs for each of these cars will follow in the days to come."

Rajeev Raja, creative head, DDB Mudra said, "The challenge was to bring the Volkswagen brand closer to Indian customers. The insight was that while all men are crazy about cars, a lot of children too are getting increasingly knowledgeable about cars, their model numbers. To top that, the script also takes into consideration the customer service since the salesperson doesn't bat an eyelid when helping out the kid. Its reflective of Volkswagen's approach to all kinds of customers."

Raja is happy that the script is able to weave in different car models for different stages of the kid's life - starts off with Beetle on his 18th birthday, moving to the Jetta, followed by the Passat and topping it off with a Touareg.

The film has been directed by John Dolan who has previously shot commercials for Volkswagen in the US and UK.

"John Dolan was chosen to direct the spot for his subtle treatment of performances and his familiarity and experience with the Volkswagen brand.  Being the launch commercial in this market, it was extremely important to get the execution right as it sets the executional boundaries for the brand in the Indian context.  Globally, Volkswagen is known for its subtle performances and deadpan humour, something that would naturally stand out on Indian television," said Roopak Saluja, MD and executive producer of Bang Bang Films which produced the TVC.

Credits
Project: Volkswagen Brand TVC - Young Kid
Client: Volkswagen
Creative agency: DDB Mudra
Chief creative officer: Bobby Pawar
Creative head and copywriter: Rajeev Raja
Art director: Ajmal Mohammad
Account planning: Suresh Mohan Kumar
Client servicing: Ashish Marwah, Shishir Khandelwal
Production house: Bang Bang Films
Director: John Dolan
Post-production studio: Pixion
Media agency: MediaCom