In a long and amateurish sequence, here's how the TV spot goes:
- Kid shows up in a showroom. Inquires about 'booking a car for his 18th birthday' in a horrendous vernacular accent (premium segment, anyone?). Hear that first line again. Who at DDB and VW thought the delivery sounded about right?
- Ingratiating dealership salesman calls the kid 'sir', and proceeds to fawn over him.
- Kid goes on to talk about VW models for when he's 24, a CEO... a longwinded sequence while the salesman agrees for each choice earnestly.
- This goes on for about a minute, and feels much longer.
And this was the best way DDB and VW thought to present themselves to India: a brand known worldwide for creative, innovative, and most importantly - memorable advertising. Perhaps they wanted to oversimplify things for the Indian consumer, and came up with this.
As a former VW owner, and as a fan of their campaigns in the United States, I am appalled at such substandard communication from the brand.
To think VW India and the agency are actually pleased with their work. Since Porsche and VW are together now - did they copy an older Porsche ad and do this version for India?
6 comments:
I think many of us completely agree on the storyboard and that kid's accent. This also rips off a Porsche commercial.
I just can't believe this is a Volkswagen ad.
It's a pity, actually, that they didn't let that ad run just a little bit longer; to the part where the fawning salesman throws his hands up in the hair, bundles the kid into a Beetle (engine running), locks the doors and then runs a pipe from the exhaust in through a gap in the window. I suppose you could then have the kid being taken to the cemetery in a VW hearse. They just don't make ads like that!
See also http://india-aaagh.blogspot.com/2009/11/volkswagen-bores-into-india.html which I know Vcat is familiar with.
@Paul - LoL!
Y'know this mental picture reminds me of some old MAD magazine takes on commercials.
So the kid would say, and 'this one for my cortege'?
oh yeah, it could've been made better but I didn't find the accent too alien.
@Scorpio - Note the first line said by the kid. It is jarring...
Btw, further VW India ads are an improvement.
@vcat: Not! The Ram horns ad, the beetle ad, and the latest Polo ads? pyuk.
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