Volkswagen Surprises Pedestrians with a Beat Boxing Electric Vehicle

Volkswagen E-Up Beatbox

Over the years we’ve become accustomed to sound of traditional gas-powered vehicles, but electric vehicles run relatively silent at low speeds making them a potential danger to blind or the disabled. Earlier this year the US government required that all EVs produce some kind of sound until they reach 17 mph. Exactly what those sounds will end up being has been open to debate and creative thinking.

Interactive agency DDB Tribal used the silent-running Volkswagen E-Up to demonstrate one creative solution involving vocalist and beatbox artist Fatih Sahin.

[via Car Scoops]

Sweden

How Quick Can You Click? Volkswagen Races Into Your Web Banner

Volkswagen GTi Bannenbahn

Banner Blindness is the name given to explain one of the reasons that internet users ignore banner ads. In fact Doubleclick has reported that the average click through rate for banner ads in the U.S. is a measly 0.11%.

However, this Friday (Sept 13) ad agency ACHTUNG! and Volkswagen will have internet users in the Netherlands paying extra attention to the banner ads on 4 of the country’s most popular web sites, including nu.nl, telegraaf.nl, autoweek.nl, and geenstijl.nl.

The agency will bring the banners to life with a live video feed from a local airport runway where 20 x 25 metre versions of the web pages have been reproduced. On Friday from noon to 4pm (Netherlands time) a stunt driver will pilot a Volkswagen GTi around the runway, speeding and sliding across the reproductions of the web page and through the banner ads. Internet users with quick reflexes have to click on the car when it appears. At the end of the day, the user with the quickest reflexes wins the car in real life.

While only people in the Netherlands can win the car, everyone can test their reflexes at gtibannerbahn.nl.

The Making of Bannerbahn

[via http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/volkswagen-bannerbahn-live-banner-challenge/]

Netherlands

Volkswagen Thwartes Fast-Forwarders With Slowmercial

Volkswagen Beetle Slowmercial

Armed with research showing that more than 1 out every 3 Belgians record and watch their favorite TV shows at a later time, and 80% of those choosing to fast forward through commercials, DDB Brussels came up with the ‘Slowmercial’ to promote the new Volkswagen Beetle Cabrio.

Even when viewed the 30 second ad is viewed at 8x normal speed it still can communicate its message to the viewer.

While this trick works fine against for fast-forwarders, it’s powerless against the controversial new ad-skipping technology.

{via The Denver Egotist]

Belgium

Red Stripe Ref Makes the Official Call on ‘That’ Super Bowl Car Commercial

Red Stripe Ref Makes Official Call on VW Ad

Jamaican beer brand Red Stripe may not name the brand in question, but anyone who follows advertising knows how Volkswagen’s official Super Bowl ad ‘Get Happy’ has stirred up controversy. The ad features a a white office guy (from Minnesota, Land of a “Towsend” Lakes) speaking with a distinctive Jamaican accent, eventually winning over his glum co-workers with his ‘no worries’ attitude.

In an article on the Mercury News, VW spokesman, Scott Vazin said critics have it all wrong, “If you look at the whole intent of the commercial for us, it’s about making people happy. The idea is to put a smile on your face. It’s simple and human and humorous.”

The clip was just one in a series posted to Red Stripe’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook during and just after the game, with shout-outs to Beyonce’s half-time show, and the winning coach Harbaugh.

[via Meme Machine]

JamaicaUSA

Dog Pretends To Be a Car in Dutch Volkswagen Ad

Volkswagen Dog

A new ad from Volkswagen Netherlands features a cute Jack Russell Terrier (possibly a Jackapoo), that is so impressed by the neighbour’s VW that he spends his day pretending to be one, much to the chagrin of his beleaguered owner.

The dog makes engine revving sounds at the crosswalk, makes tire suealing sounds in the park, beeps as it’s backing up, and when startled out of a sound sleep, it begins to bark like a car alarm.

The spot was created by DDB & Tribal Amsterdam, and directed by Mattias Schut at Czar.

Netherlands

Volkswagen Taps Jimmy Cliff and Unhappy Viral Video Stars for Pre-Super Bowl Clip

Volkswagen Super Bowl - Jimmy Cliff

For this year’s Volkswagen pre-Super Bowl spot (we have pre-ads now?) Deutsch L.A. has tapped reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, star of the 1972 movie ‘The Harder They Come’. That movie was critical in helping expose the music of Jamaica to an international audience. Cliff is featured in the clip singing his updated version of the Patridge Family theme song ‘Come on Get Happy’.

Along side Cliff, are several people who were caught being very ‘unhappy’ on YouTube, including Debbie; the cat-crazy woman from the ‘eHarmony Video Bio’ (which was not a bio at all, but a marketing promotion for Dutch company Pretty Social), Ohio Republican candidate Phil Davison, who loses his mind in a campaign speech, Casey, the inconsolable Packers fan, Francis, the guy who destroys his xBox after being called fat, two scrapping mascots, and minor-league baseball manager Phillip Wellman, who went on a legendary base-throwing tirade.

Cliff’s version of Come on Get Happy, along with several ringtones are available for free download.

[via AgencySpy]

USAPull-Ups First Flush

VW Netherlands Promotes Commercial Vehicle Sale with One-of-a-Kind BBQ Van

Volkswagen BBQ Bus

Until November 2, Volkswagen Netherlands is offering special discounts on their commercial vehicles during Vriendenprijsweken (Friends Price Week). To further promote the campaign, Dutch metal-artist and designer Thierry van Raay was recruited to create a fully functional BBQ in the form of a classic Volkswagen Transporter T1.

To win the van, eligible participants (i.e., residents of The Netherlands 18+) allow the BBQ-BUS Facebook app to scan their most recent 50 photos to determine how many friends are recognized in the photos (my scan found 20 faces, several of which were my own).

The images that the application locates, are then displayed on bodies of a line-up of hungry construction workers, which can then be shared on the user’s Facebook timeline.

On October 17, a winner will be randomly selected from eligible participants to take home the one-of-a-kind BBQ bus.

The campaign was created by Amsterdam-based creative agency Achtung!

[via marcobulters.nl]

Netherlands

2013 Volkswagen Jetta Ad: Missing Car Keys and the Guilty Bulldog

Volkswagen 2013 Jetta - Lost keys

Between January and November, 2011, US pet insurance provider VPI received over 6,500 claims of pets swallowing foreign objects. The list of objects recovered include everything from a scented candles, an unfortunate GI Joe and a wedding ring.

As any pet owner knows, surgery to remove a foreign object from the stomach on intestine of a pet can be expensive, as much as $1,900 according to information on the VPI website. The insurer provides an article on how to spot whether your pet has swallowed a foreign object and some steps to help prevent the problem from happening.

Speaking of pets and foreign objects, Volkswagen’s new spot for the 2013 features the case of a missing set of car keys and a guilty-looking bulldog. Based on the reaction of the owner, this may not be the first time that something has disappeared around the house.

The song in the ad is ‘Dirty Old Egg Sucking Dog‘ by Johnny Cash.

The ad was created by Deutsch LA.

USA

Volkswagen Challenges South Africans to Find & Pin VWs on Street View

Volkswagen Street Quest - South Africa

Volkswagen holds 3 of the 10 positions on the top selling cars of all time. The Golf is #3 with 27.5 million, the Beetle at 23.5 million, and the Passat at 15.5 million.

With those numbers in mind, Volkswagen South Africa has launched Street Quest, a challenge in which players search the streets of South Africa using Google Street View and ‘pin’ as many Volkswagens as they can find. The first part of challenge is being played out over 4 weeks, with each week’s top ‘pinner’ winning a trip to Cape Town to compete in the live Grand Final. The first three Quests saw more 250,000 VWs pinned by players. To be counted cars must be clearly identifiable as a Volkswagen, if more than 3 cars are determined to be falsely pinned the player will be disqualified.

The campaign was created by Ogilvy Cap Town.

South Africa

VW Builds Beetle-Shaped Shark Observation Cage for Shark Week

Volkswagen Beetle Shark Observation Cage

2012 marks the 25th anniversary of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, and sponsor Volkswagen of America will be getting lots of audience exposure both above and below the water.

Volkswagen has worked closely with marine biologist and shark expert Luke Tipple and his team of engineers to create the one-of-a-kind “Volkswagen Beetle Shark Observation Cage”. They will be produce 3 one-minute segments showing the design, construction and submersion of the Beetle. The shark cage, which mimics the silhouette and shape of a real beetle, will be driven (or more likely towed) along the ocean floor.

USA