VW PunchDub Ad

Sometimes I forget that if you don't work in Marketing, in one of it's many roles or functions, you may be completely unaware of some of the brilliantly creative work that is done every day. I say this because it was brought to my attention over the weekend that Volkwagen's recent Super Bowl ad and campaign went completely unnoticed by many Irish folk who are marketing types (or American Football fans). So for any of you who missed this excellent campaign, here you go...

For their 2010 Super Bowl ad, Volkswagen (US) reimagined the popular car game of “Punch Dub”. Most people will be familiar with the classic game of punching a friend's arm when you see a VW and for their campaign VW have updated the game to increase awareness and familiarity with the full 13 model range of Volkswagens now available. The “Punch Dub” campaign was launched with a 30 second commercial during the third quarter of the Super Bowl with cameo appearances by Tracy Morgan and Stevie Wonder...

Volkswagen also developed an online campaign about the creator of the game, Charlie “Sluggy” Patterson. As well as having a blog, Twitter stream and a series of videos on YouTube, the campaign was supported by an online game through the VW Facebook page. All elements went live on Super Bowl Sunday and encouraged people to explore the Volkswagen range with virtual slugs to friends and family. Essentially people were driven to hone their punching techniques and punch as many friends or family as possible. The more punches you got, the better your chances were of winning a weekly prize or the Grand Prize, a brand new Volkswagen. The campaign was developed by Deutsch, Los Angeles.

"Volkswagen is one of the most beloved brands in this country, but people have a misperception that it only sell cars for the young. We needed to find a way to let people know that Volkswagen makes thirteen different models, in a way that still felt right for the brand," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO/Chief Creative Officer of Deutsch LA. "Changing the game of ‘Punch Bug’ to the game of ‘Punch Dub’ and making it about all Volkswagen is the perfect way to do that. It tells you something nobody knows in a way that everyone can relate to."

"Punch Dub is a fun, engaging way to reintroduce Volkswagen and its growing product family to millions of Americans during one of the most watched television events of the year, the Super Bowl," said Tim Ellis, Vice President of Marketing, Volkswagen of America. "The campaign is a modern twist on a classic game that has been played on America’s highways for generations and will help consumers gain a new perspective on the breadth of our vehicle offerings, quality, performance and value."

As a taster, here is the first of Sluggy's videos...