Tag: Volkswagen

Australia – Independent agency Apparent has been appointed to Volkswagen Group Australia’s digital and CX business following a competitive pitch. The appointment encompasses Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda and CUPRA.

Joshua Wood, head of digital and CRM, Volkswagen Group Australia, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Apparent. Their exceptional data analysis, customer experience, and creative innovation capabilities align perfectly with our vision.  With a strong commitment to partnership we have great confidence in achieving meaningful outcomes.”

Suzy Smiley, managing director at Apparent, added, “It’s an honour to be selected as Volkswagen Group Australia’s Digital and CX partner. The appointment is a significant new partnership for Apparent. Volkswagen Group has an inspiring vision for the future and we’re excited about the opportunity to achieve outstanding results together.”

Other Apparent’s clients include Google, Cricket Australia, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and IBM.

Sydney, Australia – Popular automotive brand Volkswagen in Australia has teamed up with creative agency DDB Sydney with consultation from the University of Melbourne and Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) to develop ‘RooBadge’ an audio deterrent device against kangaroos. In addition, following three years of development, moving vehicle trials for this will now also commence.

It is hoped that Volkswagen’s ‘RooBadge’ will help reduce collisions with kangaroos. These comprise some 90 per cent of on-road wildlife accidents in this country. 

Connecting to an in-car app, ‘RooBadge’ calibrates a vehicle’s GPS coordinates with specifically developed kangaroo species distribution data. The ‘badge’ itself is a circular disc some 17cm in diameter that acts as protective shields, replacing the current Volkswagen roundel/badge. A mixture of natural and artificial sounds is mixed in real time and projected in a high frequency audio signal from the front of the vehicle. 

Following extensive trials, permission has been obtained from The University of Melbourne Office of Research Ethics and Integrity to move into Stage Four trials, involving kangaroos in the wild. While supposed deterrent devices have existed for some time, none has been scientifically developed or proven.

Melbourne University’s Associate Professor Graeme Coulson said, “[RooBadge does] something no kangaroo deterrent has been able to do before. It’s difficult to produce a single sound that will deter all kangaroos, because the species are different to each other. Using advancement in car technology we can change the sound deterrent by GPS location.”

He added, “We have worked on sounds that will be meaningful to Eastern Grey Kangaroos, things like dingo calls, alarm calls made by birds and the alarm thumps that kangaroos make to warn each other. We will then be able to tweak the sound for other species.”

David Jackson, executive creative director at DDB Digital, who led the project for DDB Sydney, said that what started as a speaker in a VW badge to reduce animal collisions on our roads, became an innovative, data and science-driven project. 

“Over time this concept just grew and grew. By partnering with The University of Melbourne and WIRES we were able to build a protective audio shield that will have real impact on keeping people safe on our roads. We have also worked with The University of Melbourne Office of Research Ethics and Integrity and industry leaders to develop RooBadge through real-world tests to help optimise our hardware, software and sounds,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Ryan Davies, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, commented, “Why is Volkswagen investing time and energy in this project? Because we can and it’s the right thing to do. A collision with a ‘roo can be devastating. It is not easily forgotten once seen, and certainly not if experienced. Then there’s the possibility of a front-on collision with an approaching vehicle at country road speeds when one driver is trying to avoid striking a kangaroo. These are even more likely to have a fatal human outcome.” 

Lastly, Matt Chandler, executive creative director at DDB, said that innovation was at the forefront of this campaign for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and has been a huge commitment from the DDB team over the past four years. 

“The team were incredibly passionate about this project from the start and we have since seen four years of deep innovation and product development to deliver something that is not only meaningful but protects Australians driving VW utes on our roads. The list of people who have cared for this project over the years is long, and it is testament to the passion and belief the agency has had for it, led by the brilliant and inexhaustible David Jackson,” he said. 

India – Volkswagen India has partnered with integrated marketing agency DDB Mudra Group for its latest ‘Whatever Diwali Brings You, We Got You’ campaign that explores the chaotic fun of last-minute Diwali preparations.

The new campaign featured a series of digital films that encapsulated the imperfect yet memorable moments of Diwali plans that don’t turn out the way they are supposed to. The humorous storytelling highlights Volkswagen as the key to saving the day.

In the first film, ‘A Decoration Situation, a family attempts to put up the Diwali lights. However, upon realising they picked the wrong size, they immediately made a dash to the store to rectify the situation.

Titled ‘Same Pinch’, the second film, on the other hand, shows a girl finding an unexpected outfit clash with someone at the party. She immediately goes back to change, only to later find out that someone else brought the same gift as hers.

Meanwhile, in the third film titled ‘Forget-me-nots’, a family that’s on their way to celebrate Diwali suddenly makes a swift U-turn after the husband recalls leaving behind the festive gifts. And lastly, in the ‘Tight Spots’ film, a young boy makes a spontaneous trip to buy a new pair of pants when his own pair doesn’t fit him well anymore.

Volkswagen India’s new campaign aims to show the automobile brand’s capabilities to fix last-minute festivity problems in a more seamless and enjoyable way, showcasing the brand’s safety and fun-to-drive features.

The automobile manufacturing brand wanted to depart from the traditional product-centric approach of advertising and transition into more warm, human-centric stories, emphasising togetherness during the festive season.

The campaign aligns with the new brand positioning of ‘You’re in a Volkswagen’ which built robust emotional equity in the market, underscoring the joy of owning a Volkswagen and how it made owners feel when they drove it.

Rahul Mathew, chief creative officer at DDB Mudra Group, shared, “With ‘You’re in a Volkswagen,’ we aimed to capture the various emotions that we unlock in the lives of our customers. So for Diwali, we decided to look beyond the typical festivities and embrace the significance of little moments.”

India – German automotive maker Volkswagen in India has released a new campaign aiming to demonstrate the safeness of their cars. But there’s a catch: the campaign doesn’t feature any cars at all. 

Conceptualised by the DDB Mudra Group, the campaign leverages the brand’s affinity for simplicity and human storytelling through crisp, amusing home life metaphors for the safety features on every Volkswagen.

On a more technical level, the campaign was launched on the back of the Volkswagen Taigun model recently scoring a five-star rating in Global NCAP’s crash tests. Taigun has become one of the first car models in India to achieve five stars, for both adult and child occupants’ protection.

Speaking on the work, Rahul Mathew, chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group, said, “As a brand, Volkswagen has been built around human stories. It’s in the name of the brand itself. Therefore, we thought the best way to illustrate our safety features would be through examples of how we navigate our every day.”

Meanwhile, Abbey Thomas, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India, commented, “Safety is at the core of Brand Volkswagen. We build our cars with lots of emotion and passion, the same goes for our communication; emotional and light hearted. Together with our creative team, we hope to deliver this very important messaging on safety in an interesting and engaging manner to our consumers.”

India – Automotive brand Volkswagen in India has launched a new campaign for its newly launched sedan, ‘Virtus’, which aims to reignite the premium midsize sedan with its ‘Big by’ design, performance, safety, connectivity, convenience and comfort. 

Titled ‘Hello Goosebumps’, the film, which was conceptualised by advertising agency DDB Mudra Group, highlights the thrill and joy of driving the new Volkswagen Virtus. It also captures the core DNA of the brand of build quality, safety, and fun-to-drive experience.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen’s media agency, PHD India, has further elevated the launch campaign via its 360-degree incisive approach, covering all vital media channels, and crafting an effective marketing strategy. The agency was also tasked with building enthusiasm and maximising outreach amongst its target audience to amplify the launch experience of Volkswagen Virtus. 

The campaign kick-started on a high note with the ‘French Window Innovation’ in India’s top-read newspaper, The Times of India. Garnering scores of impressions across the country, this large-canvas innovation delivered high-visibility engagement that today’s audiences desire and was augmented by high-impact roadblocks on leading business and news digital publications to maximise reach and frequency. 

Moreover, the campaign was further strengthened with an influencer marketing strategy featuring India’s mega influencers like Tamanaah Bhatia, Yami Gautam, and Mrunal Thakur, amongst others, perfectly encapsulating the essence of Virtus’ tagline – ‘Hello Goosebumps!’ through their own personal and professional journeys.

Abbey Thomas, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, shared that with the launch of the new Volkswagen Virtus, their intention was to showcase the potential of the premium midsize sedan segment. 

“Our communication positioning for the Virtus ‘Hello Goosebumps’ has been rightly captured by our partner DDB Mudra Group and amplified by PHD media in reaching out to our intended consumers. The combined efforts have elevated the excitement and thrill of driving sedans paving the way for an introduction truly befitting of the Virtus,” said Thomas. 

Meanwhile, Pallavi Chakravarti, DDB Mudra’s creative head for West, commented, “This sedan looks like a dream and drives like one too. ‘Hello Goosebumps’ captures the essence of the Volkswagen Virtus in a simple, visceral campaign that every passionate driver will undoubtedly relate to.”

Monaz Todywalla, CEO at PHD Media India, noted that the partnership with Volkswagen gave them the opportunity to steer another big launch campaign to its true potential while staying true to PHD’s tradition of helping its clients make significant leaps in the marketing space. 

“Utilising key strategies across all touchpoints to maximise reach, an outcome like this always gives us the impetus to continue building impactful experiences for brands like Volkswagen and elevate their marketing strategies to be a cut above the rest,” said Todywalla.

Auckland, New Zealand – Automotive brand Volkswagen in New Zealand has appointed Mango Communications Aotearoa as its public relations agency. 

Through the appointment, Mango will provide media relations, experiential and ambassador management to Volkswagen NZ, in addition to expertise across the full gamut of marcomms.

Mango Aotearoa Managing Director Sean Brown, says that Volkswagen New Zealand is an exciting addition to Mango’s ever expanding client list and the team is looking forward to going full throttle with an iconic brand.

“We are so excited to be offering an integrated marketing solution for Volkswagen New Zealand, helping to drive more success in Aotearoa by sharing the stories and incredible next generation technology behind Volkswagen. It’s a privilege to be able to work with such an iconic brand and the fantastic people who make up the team, Brown said.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen New Zealand General Manager of Passenger Vehicles Greg Leet, commented that Mango Aotearoa has the ability to deliver the integrated offering they have been looking for, working closely with sister agency DDB. 

“We were so impressed with Mango’s combination of strategic thinking, creativity and quality execution. Already the team has been impressive to deal with and we are really looking forward for what’s to come,” Leet said.

Sydney, Australia – Automotive brand Volkswagen has reappointed agency L&A Social to manage organic social media for its Passenger Vehicles brand, following a four agency competitive pitch.

Through the mandate, L&A Social will handle the automotive brand’s end to end social media activity, including strategy, content development, photo and video shoots, campaign development, reporting and social listening.

In addition, L&A Social will continue to manage Volkswagen PV’s social pages across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for its Passenger Vehicle brand.

Ralph Beckmann, GM of marketing and product for the Volkswagen Passenger Vehicle brand, said, “As we continue to optimise our presence across social, L&A Social demonstrated best-in class strategic thinking and bang for your buck creative solutions that will continue to lift our brand’s engagement with social audiences on all platforms. We have successfully worked with the team for a number of years now and look forward to elevating that relationship further.”

Meanwhile, Gina Lednyak, founder and CEO at L&A Social, commented, “We are absolutely thrilled Volkswagen have once again appointed us to manage their social media strategy, content creation and implementation, against competition from other strong agencies. Their decision is a testament to the brilliant teamwork between the Volkswagen PV and L&A team, the expertise of our team and the deep understanding of social trends we have.”

Beijing, China – Branding and pioneering platform 36Kr has announced that will be providing its video marketing solutions to automotive brand group Volkswagen Group China, which will be part of Volkswagen’s 2021 marketing program with 36Kr.

Through the marketing program, 36Kr has created an 8-minute short-form video on the topic of possibilities and imaginations for intelligent automobiles, within which it also seamlessly featured Volkswagen’s technology, insight and vision on future transportation. This customized and professionally produced video content is being distributed through 36Kr’s mobile app and diverse distribution networks, and has attracted massive viewership as well as audience interactions. 

The short-form video marketing solution is an integrated and important part of Volkswagen’s overall marketing program with 36Kr as it transforms from a pure-play automaker to a travel service provider.

First launched last year, 36Kr has produced more than 150 video programs, covering various topics including technology, business, finance and economics, education, and personal growth. Short-form video content is a strong addition to 36Kr’s content matrix, which now consists of text, image, video, audio and live streaming with a concentration on China’s New Economy space as well as lifestyle of the younger generation.

For context, the country’s New Economy model is gearing towards a services-oriented model, away from the traditional manufacturing system the country has been well known for years.

In addition, 36Kr has cultivated an extensive and effective content distribution network across various mainstream third-party social platforms including Bilibili and Douyin. At the end of the first quarter of 2021, 36Kr had attracted more than 4.5 million followers and generated 60 million total video views across all third-party-trafficked platforms. More and more users and customers are increasingly recognizing the value of 36Kr’s short-form video content, and some elite brands have formed collaborations with 36Kr for content marketing programs pivoting to short-form videos.

For Dagang Feng, co-chairman and chief executive officer of 36Kr, the success of the Volkswagen video marketing program illustrates 36Kr’s ability to deliver a comprehensive array of content marketing solutions to customers, further validating the value and brand power of 36Kr’s platform.

“We believe 36Kr’s fast-growing video marketing initiatives will propel continuous growth in our user traffic, strengthen user engagement, lift our revenue ceiling, and reinforce our core competencies as the leading platform for New Economy growth-focused business content and service offerings in China. We are confident that 36Kr is well-positioned to seize the immense commercialization opportunities with the rise of short-form video across the digital content industry,” Feng stated.