VW's New Ads Feature "Love Bug"

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Washington DC March 31, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that Volkswagen, which has a goal of tripling its U.S. sales by 2018, is rolling out a classic Beetle as the brand's face and voice in a quirky TV, Web, and print ad campaign that starts Monday.

The campaign's star is "Max," a pristinely restored 1964 black Bug. According to USA Today, the stepped-up brand advertising precedes Volkswagen's introduction this year of the Tiguan crossover SUV, Routan minivan, Passat CC, clean diesel Jetta TDI, and Jetta SportWagen.

"We're reintroducing Volkswagen to the world by using a lovable icon that everyone will know and relate to," says Tim Ellis, VW's vice president of marketing. In the TV ads, Max speaks with a German accent and plays a talk-show host. He conducts offbeat interviews with an eclectic batch of celebrities, including supermodel Heidi Klum.

"If people look at it and say it's silly, that's a good thing," Ellis says. "There's so much screaming going on, you have to take a chance and do something odd and silly. You're gaining their attention and a few moments to get them to stop and think about your brand."