Ahem . . . Automotive News [sub] reports that VW is seeking a new ad agency, after four years with Crispin Porter & Bogusky. “Our goal of rapidly increasing our volume in a mature market requires the Volkswagen brand to evolve into a more relevant mainstream choice,” explains VW VP Marketing Tim Ellis.
The Volkswagen brand needs to inspire our base of enthusiasts as well as reach out and captivate those in mainstream America. Therefore, we are re-evaluating all areas of our business and after careful considerations have decided to take the necessary steps to ensure we have the right agency partner in place.
After all, VW is kind enough to dumb down its product line (cough) for America’s benighted mainstream. The problem must be the ads!
76 Comments on “VW Ditches Ad Agency in Bid for “Mainstream Relevance”...”
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They really were bad ads. Think of it – in every one of those commercials was a reminder of what VW used to be. Every time I saw one, I thought “I’d rather have the Beetle.” Like GM using a talking 63 Fleetwood to convince you what a great car the DTS is, when all it would really do is show you what a REAL Cadillac is. Madness.
Why anyone would want to reach out and captivate mainstream America is beyond me. Certainly their past ads were wrongheaded (appealing to twenty-something airheads). Now VW can appeal to Forty something airheads. Good product will win over all. No one buys a Toyota or Honda because of their ads, I don’t think.
They really were awful ads. They only succeeded in reminding us what VW used to be all about. All I ever thought was that I’d rather have the Beetle.
It would be like GM using a talking 63 Fleetwood to tell us what a great car the DTS is, when all it would really do is remind us what a REAL Cadillac looks like. Maddening.
Well, bummer. Volkswagen’s ads have always been off beat and the current series has followed in that tradition nicely. I especially liked the Prius ad, nice jab at Toyota there.
Hope the new agency has a sense of humor.
Unpimp ze commercials?
Want mainstream appeal? Easy – just soften the suspension, widen the seats, add cup holders that can hold 40oz drinks and make every model in the lineup bigger. Get rid of all turbo engines and replace with big displacement V6s and fit AC units that can freeze meat on a hot day. Mainstream here we come.
The old VW days when Jerry Delefamina was at the helm of clever advertising, we were also buying Twinkies,smoking Kents, and using Brylcreem. Those were the easy days. VW needs a product now to compete. The Bug was a great niche, for the 60’s. What have you got now? I think nothing. Why blame the advertising agency?
So VW is done trying to be Honda but with much worse quality, and is going to try to be Toyota but with much worse quality?
Please don’t make this about “dumb Americans”, that Americans don’t buy many VW’s is proof that American’s aren’t that dumb after all.
VW’s problem is not that its ads are too clever; it’s that VW’s cars have horrible quality. Other than diesel there is no reason to buy one instead of a Japanese FWD car.
Europeans only buy VWs because of European xenophobia and because VWs have good reliability compared to Fiats.
By the way, a couple days ago I heard an awful clanking, knocking noise behind me at a stoplight. I thought an old diesel dually was behind me, but I looked in my review mirror and it was a previous generation diesel Jetta.
No one buys a Toyota or Honda because of their ads, I don’t think.
No, they don’t because they are buying a car for purely practical reasons.
If your selling a car that offers non-quantifiable rewards you need powerful marketing to communicate your vehicles attributes.
As an example – right now a modern day Don Draper is meeting with the boys from Alfo Romeo to discuss how to market the 159. Yes, it will leave you stranded more often than a Camry. But, as Clarkson says, “…hearing the exhaust note is like having your soul licked by angles.” The only way to get that idea across to the buying public is through advertising.
My first thought was mistake, because Crispin Porter + Bogursky makes great ads.
But if you think about it, their ads are always about being different and shaking things up – hardly the “mainstream” vibe that VW wants. That’s why they make awesome “Wake up with the king” ads with BK, that’s why they did the Coke Zero Super Bowl ad, and that’s even why they did Unpimp ze auto…these brands and campaigns were all about being the alternative, not the mainstream.
This agency’s last big and public attempt at working with a mainstream company was when Gates and Seinfeld made a few commercials together. Remember how that turned out?
If you want edgy, polarizing, and generally awesome, go with Crispin Porter + Bogursky. Otherwise, go elsewhere! I guess VW made a good choice, if that’s really what they want.
Good, maybe we will not see another campaign touting the German Engineering of a Routan!
VW has been trying to market itself based on nostalgia, German Engineering and being hip.
I think they should go back to building a campaign around “Driver’s Wanted”. Pitch every vehicle as not only doing what other cars in the segment do, but doing so in a way which appeals to people who like to drive. Don’t go after the people for whom driving is a necessary evil … everyone else is already selling to them.
VW’s marketing efforts here have been hit-or-miss, at best. Remember “fahrvegnugen”? or whatever the hell that was? And the talking Beetle is little better…annoying rather than endearing.
VW’s advertising is generally better material for comedians, than it is at selling cars.
John Horner:
The Routan does have German engineering, just Daimler’s not VW’s.
carguy, you nailed my anxiety about VW’s direction on the head. What are they thinking?
Yes, what the world needs is more Toyota clones – their grey, mouse fur interiors are so appealing, their styling is dynamic, and the driving experience is… zzzzzzzzz… I’m sorry, did I nod off for a second there?
I loved the GTI “Fast” series of ads.
In fact the ads were just enough to get me down to a dealer for a test drive. That’s how I found out that I love dual-clutch transmissions.
I didn’t buy a GTI that day, but I did put VW on my radar for the future, so I’d say the commercial was very effective. On me anyway.
HMMmmmmm
DAMN,
THAT is EXACTLY what is wrong with VW in a nutshell.
They are NOW trying to be MAINSTREAM! They… like Subaru were better when they were quirky and interesting.
Now they have as much interest.. as a left open can of month old cream of mushroom SOUP!
Hasnt anyone ever told these yahoos and Subaru.. that your following will be fantastic and loyal if you stick to what you know best.
But Porsche tried that.. and their CEO fucked that all up.
Subaru tried that.. and look where it got them = TOYOTA, current Legacy / wagon.
Honda is trying that with Accord as did Toyota tries that with the current Camry.. can you say, large, obese blvd cruiser = FAT ASS!
Now I cant even walk into a Porsche shop.. without my eyes bleeding.. from the obese Cayenne and the pointless Panamera.
Life as we know it.. is ending.
Welcome to the 24 Heures Du Meh – the race to build the blandest, most unoffensive cars in the world.
At least the VW ads made you notice VW. Has there ever been a memorable Toyota ad? Of course, that doesn’t stop Toyota from selling bazillions of cars.
Anyway, I thought they’d already dumbed down their product line, or at least part of it. I mean, have you driven a Jetta recently? It’s softer than a freshly plowed field, which incidentally is exactly what you’ll have if you drive one hard into a corner.
Great. Now their ads are going to be VeeDubathons with dorks in pleated tan chinos running around white Passamries and Jettarollas like coked-up fools. Oh what a Farfegnugen!!!
I actually thought the recent VW ads were pretty clever. The Routan ads were terrible because of what they were selling. A good creative team can do only so much with what they have.
They are firing their ad agency? Heh. The only 2 reasons I would have bought a VW for were:
1. Golf is one of the few remaining hatchbacks
2. “Unpimp ze auto” commercials were absolutely brilliant
Unfortunately the cars themselves are not brilliant. In fact, they are far from it. So far, even with the two things above going for them, I couldn’t force myself to do it. And that awful 2.5? Don’t even get me started…
Unfortunately the cars themselves are not brilliant. In fact, they are far from it.
Then why do they hold the #1 and #2 spot in Germany?
I think the ad is pretty good, although it would be better if they expunged the talking Real Beetle in favor of another H. sapiens. But the 58 mpg and the vroom vroom and gear shifting noises vs the whoosh of the Prion is compelling.
24 heures du meh ?
BRILLIANT !
RF STEAL THIS
I nominate my favorite least fav car, the Toyota Camry Solara Convertible.
the Toyota Camry Solara Convertible
It’s worse than a Sebring Convertible?
Advertising is just hot air when the product is weak, and VW has been fun, but weak for a long time. And the ads have been awful-talking beetles? c’mon. Added the product disasters like Routan, Phaeton, Eos, not to mention bottom of the barrel reliability, its a miracle they sell anything at here. Been to a VW dealer lately? my local sample are not happy places, worse than Ford’s and harder to find. I love GTI’s, Passat’s, etc. but they need to sell at a discount to Japanese brands, not a premium. These periodic campaigns are laughable- a million units a year? On what planet?
If this means that I never have to hear about “German engineering” again, I’ll be happy. They really had some terrible and obnoxious advertisements.
So VW wants to beat Hyundai to be the New Toyota?
They should forget about the advertising, and start building cars that don’t need an inflatable mechanic in the trunk.
VW’s ills has nothing to do with advertising, and everything to do with product. The 5cyl engine? The smoothness of a 4 with the economy of a 6? Please…
VWs only unique product is the 4/5 there TTAC Valhalla mobile of the TDI Jetta Wagon with a stick. Its a race to see if they add 4 Motion to the Jetta or Subaru brings the diesel to the USDM.
They deserve some credit for carrying the torch for small oil burners in the US.
Beyond that they just make cars that cost more up front, lag GM and Chrysler in quality rankings, and then require all sorts of oddball tools to fix with their expensive parts available only from their sparse dealer network.
The flaming turd that was the 1.8T and a reputation for arbitrary denial of warranty claims does not help either.
@RedStapler: “The flaming turd that was the 1.8T …”
Amen to that. Every freaking edition of CR’s Car Isuue, the same old thing. Does that mean ‘mericuns were dumb to not buy it?
If VW wants to sell to mainstream America they need to ditch the hipster Teutonic image as far as I am concerned. Who are the trying to reach? Are they trying to reach the suburban professional/working mom with 2 kids or do they want to focus on black-framed glasses-wearing, vintage record-loving, indie band types?
Are they trying to reach the suburban professional/working mom with 2 kids or do they want to focus on black-framed glasses-wearing, vintage record-loving, indie band types?
Nah, they want to capture the hip moms, the ones who shop at whole foods and don’t let themselves go. Other companies already have obese “mom jeans” wearing contingent all sown up.
My 02 Passat was a lemon, or close to it. I don’t miss that car.
Cars talking into microphones is dumb.
Wasting Brooke Shields on Routans is even dumber. Or is it the other way around?
If they want to arrogantly brag about German engineering, try telling us why it’s better than Japanese or American or Swedish engineering, and how you can affordably keep these wonderful cars out of the repair shop. Because I sure couldn’t.
Oh, and ditch the old Beetle. It’s old.
Perhaps the next advertising campaign should really emphasize “German engineering.”
Such as:
“The new Jetta V-2 edition. It’s ‘da bomb!’”
or …
“Our new VW’s are like our old submarines. Our vehicles run silent [on the back of the towtruck] and run deep [our resale value will have you so underwater you'll think that you've hit financial crush depth]!”
The ads were awful with narration that sounded like the idiot guard in Hogan’s Heroes.
Anybody remember the ads VW had in the late ’90s? One of my favorite commercials of all time is the one with the people riding along a moonlit road in a Cabriolet while Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” played. It was so good that I briefly desired a Cabriolet…until the commercial ended.
“My 02 Passat was a lemon, or close to it. I don’t miss that car.”
You are making me glad I didn’t buy an ‘03 Passat. I really like the way it drove, and I dug the fact that I could buy a station wagon with a manual transmission. But, I did my homework and concluded I didn’t want to buy myself a headache. After having bought multiple European and American cars, I finally went over the Asian side and got an ‘03 Accord. So far it has been an excellent vehicle, not perfect, but pretty darn good. In ‘03 Honda moved the Accord a bit away from Camry style driving dynamics and towards VW style dynamics. I still enjoy driving it at 93k miles and counting.
I think they should go back to building a campaign around “Driver’s Wanted”.
I think it will be more appropriate if they went back to building a campaign around “Mechanics Wanted”.
Frankly, I’m not that much of a VW fan, but last I read, VW was or is soon to be the largest automobile manufacturer on the planet. They’ve got to be making something somebody likes.
Like them or not, that’s a lot of juice.
I’ve liked VW’s edgy ads in the past, but the talking Beetle I found stupid and irritating. It reminded me of Chrysler’s hideous ‘Ask Dr. Z’ ads.
“The new Jetta V-2 edition. It’s ‘da bomb!’”
LOL! “Launching soon into the UK market!”
Yes, its amazing how VW can be a player in most of the worlds car markets but remain the perennial also-ran in the US.
The slow implosion of American Leyland has presented them a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain market share without the usual “trench warfare” slog against entrenched competition.
Still they are only a few good executives and a Hyundai-esque quality improvement with a strong warranty away from grabbing a 5-10% share of the market.
Given the dysfunctional corporate culture that VW has I doubt it will happen anytime soon. Imagine how much farther GM would be of the fecal matter waterway if the UAW had seats on the Board and Michigan held a controlling stake.
“The new Jetta V-2 edition. It’s ‘da bomb!’”
LOL! “Launching soon into the UK market!”
Better than the Touareg getting stuck on the outskirts of the Russian market only to be crushed by the cheaper reliable local competition.
Or its platform mate the Porsche Cayanne:
“The last time we made a Vehicle this big it had Tracks and a Cannon”
@no_slushbox:
Yeah, I’m a European driving a Polo, so I’m probably a xenophobe. Sure. Otherwise I would be driving a Toyota Yaris. It must ne nice to have a simple worldview.
You want to know why Europeans don’t drive more Japanese cars?
1. History: When Japanese makers hit western markets in the 70s, the European industry was in a far better shape to deal with the challenges of the energy crisis than Detroit. Also, early Japanese cars were built with an eye on 1970s US consumer’s taste (did I say taste?) and thus didn’t sell well in countries where people weren’t blind.
2. Trends: Japanese suppliers have a history of
missing European sales trends, most notably in the early nineties when direct injection Diesels took of (which the Japanese didn’t offer) and people increasingly focused on crash tests (which most 90s Japanese cars failed miserably).
3. We expect other things from our cars then only reliability, comfort and big cupholders. We like to drive and not be driven. We want brakes than can haul us down from 120 mph repeatedly. We want interiors that don’t look like cheap Motel rooms (we also don’t build our houses with drywall btw). We want good cornering abilities even in our compact cars, which by the way are not considered poor man’s cars like in the US.
4. Reliability: Yes I admit, VW did have a rough patch until 4 years ago. However they still sold millions here in Germany and I don’t see legions of broken down Golfs lining the Autobahn every day… That may have to do with the fact that Europeans also recognize that modern car technology is complex and maybe maintenance shouldn’t be done by the ex-convict in the lube-station round the corner. As a result, modern engine technology like direct ignition routinely gets introduced earlier in Europe (and -apart from Hybrids- not by the Japanese) than in the US.
But I’m sure you’re right, us not buying more Japanes cars is a sure sign that we hate foreigners. *sigh*
3.
time to get rid of the ‘beetle’
I liked the exercise add for the cluth a few years back…and the kids driving at night looking at the stars….
VW lost the thread a long while ago.
You can’t make a car for Die Volk if it’s so unreliable the TCO is too high for them.
What was the last time they even made a reliable car?
A few issues back, there were more VWs on Consumer Reports’ “No-Seriously,-Never-EVER-Buy-One-Of-These-If-You-Want-To-Get-Out-Alive”-list than just about any other automaker.
.
If there were a special type of bomb that could explode multiple times with random different types of damage, that bomb would be my old Jetta.
I hated the Brooke Shields ads. They were creepy. And I’m speaking as their target demographic for that car – new parents.
The Umpimp my ride and GTI fast ads were good in a huge sea of misses.
I thought the old VW + new models were a total miss. Everything that was good about the old Beetle is not so good about the newer models, and the voice is paternalistic. I don’t who they were marketing to – racists who find a v/o artist putting on fake German accent is funny, or folks who remember the old days with fondness (hint: they’re busy buying their last car before dying), or … I just didn’t get it. I cringed every single time I sat through those ads.
Andrew
Why is VW considered to be so unreliable in the us?
What problems do they have?
(Btw, i have never owned a VW, but i have thought about it.)
Oh, OK, thank you for explaining that.
The VW dealer said I can look forward to replacing all 4 (FOUR) cats on my 02 Passat. I said, I heard that’s fairly expensive, maybe $2200? She laughed. “More.” I don’t understand the relationship between this outrageous figure, ex-convicts, and dry-wall, but maybe if I lived in Wolfburg for a year?
Seriously, the distances that people drive in the U.S. and the lack of effective transportation alternatives in most places explains the market demand for comfortable, reliable transportation. These preferences are not some form of cultural ignorance.
To Vega.
What an arrogant piece of writing. Just to put the icing on the cake you should have written in your native language (if you are not Turk). With that mentality I do suspect that the Wermacht et al (1939-45) did arrive in stile but were thoroughly kicked in the ***: 0-2 (current score in WW’s). More seriously, I do think VW brands are grossly over rated: below average quality, expensive and poor (arrogant) service. Many costumers are once only costumers. Myself (in Portugal) included.
3. We expect other things from our cars then only reliability, comfort and big cupholders. We like to drive and not be driven. We want brakes than can haul us down from 120 mph repeatedly. We want interiors that don’t look like cheap Motel rooms (we also don’t build our houses with drywall btw). We want good cornering abilities even in our compact cars, which by the way are not considered poor man’s cars like in the US.
Agreed, but none of these attributes apply to the current VW sold in US including Corolla-inpsired Jetta.
A car is as reliable as it’s owner… and I’ve seen more examples of unreliable
cluelessowners on the roadways than I wish to see…