Comments on: The new Passat ad

By: Shaheed Hasan

Shaheed Hasan — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 22:49:15 +0000

This is one of the worst ads, if not the worst ad ever ..came to TV in the last god knows how many years. I promise I will never buy any VW ( before I saw the ad I actually was thinking to take a test drive the new Passat…because of it’s good look). My whole family and I just hate the ad. I was reading some of the comments but have to disagree with all the lovers of the ad. I have a BBA and an MBA in Consumer’s Behavior and Advertising…but could not get out a single point of the ad…who is the target customer, what is the product ( Passat is totally overshadowed by those stupid loud remarks)and so on. I just hate the ad. I give it an F-.

By: Andre'

Andre' — Wed, 24 May 2006 01:32:48 +0000

There is something strangely disturbing about this ad. (I sat in stunned silence when I first saw it) With the 1984 Superbowl Apple Macintosh ad being a 10 on the attention-grabbing meter, this has to be at least an eight! “I laughed, I cried… I dunno…” I just can’t let it go. Its like a cathy show-tune you hear and gets you hummin’ or whistling it all day long.
“perflexing, uplifting, the common strand, of all things shifting—the soul of man…”

By: David Wen

David Wen — Thu, 18 May 2006 20:16:25 +0000

Very good analysis. Now, if only more consumers actually cared about TV commercials…

By: Knowledge Problem

Knowledge Problem — Mon, 15 May 2006 17:35:25 +0000

The New Passat Ad

Lynne Kiesling I finally saw the new Passat ad that Grant McCracken analyzed late last week (read Grant’s post if you haven’t seen the ad). I don’t completely agree with Grant that it’s a little smug, because at least in…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 13 May 2006 18:29:13 +0000

The original ad is now up on YouTube as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBlNwlaqjuE

By: Jalopnik

Jalopnik — Fri, 12 May 2006 21:39:59 +0000

Ad Watch: The VW Passat — Leading Cause Of Non-Hybrid Smug

Jalopnik’s totally all about the edgy, funny and intelligent stuff — whether it’s VDub’s GTI MKV Fast ads, or the Safe Happens Passat Jetta commercials. Crispin Porter + Bogusky looks like it may have hit another VDub out of…

By: Jalopnik

Jalopnik — Fri, 12 May 2006 18:01:29 +0000

Ad Watch: The VW Passat — Leading Cause Of Non-Hybrid Smug

There’s a lot to love about what Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s with VW advertising over the past few years. Jalopnik’s totally all about the edgy, funny and intelligent stuff — whether it’s VDub’s GTI MKV Fast ads, or the…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:20:10 +0000

It would be very interesting to see the research and planning that went into this.

I suspect there was little research, based on what I’ve read about CP+B. The recent VW safty ads that featured actual crashes were not tested at all. Which is perhaps why you’re not seeing the same old auto industry-style ads (Mercury Mountaineer, anyone?) coming from them.

By: Charles Frith

Charles Frith — Fri, 12 May 2006 03:45:25 +0000

Don’t forget that at the heart of the VW brand architecture is the value/tonality (I forget which) of ‘Understated’ which derives from the brand’s great origins as the ‘People Car – Volkswagen’. Great creatives seize on words like that. Much more relevant than the ubiquitous ‘ironic, confident and irreverent’ that litter briefs from Agencies and sad to say marketing departments that have lifted the creative brief pro-forma.

By: Steve Portigal

Steve Portigal — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:34:29 +0000

http://www.slate.com/id/2141286/fr/rss/ is review of some new Jetta ads – with links to samples