First, Grabarz & Partner used a bunch of “Laughing Horses” to show just how precise Volkswagen‘ Trailer Assist option is. Then, the creatives asked blind American photographer Pete Eckart to outline the outstanding silhouette of one of the most impressive VW cars, Arteon. Now, in the latest spot for the car manufacturer, the Hamburg-based agency creatively shows just how safe their vehicles really are.
Directed by award-winning German Director Sebastian Strasser of ANORAK Film and accompanied by lovely vocals of Belgian choir Scala & Kolacny Brothers – If You Could Read My Mind, the new cheeky ‘Kids Dream’ commercial features curious children who get stunned by the beauty, shape, and size of fancy sports cars – all other than Volkswagen.
The one-and-a-half-minute-long video starts with one kid’s dream in which he wins a race; while his Formula1-shaped bed shows his passion for the four-wheeled speedy vehicles. Afterwards, we see more children falling in love with other supercars like DeLoreans, Porsches, or Lamborghinis.
Later on, we spot a little boy who seems to be simply enchanted by the impressive design of a Bugatti. Under the spell of such ‘meeting’ and being hypnotized by the sheer beauty of the superb sports car, the boy starts to move towards it without paying attention to crossing the street.
The German carmaker knew exactly when and how to make its big entrance: thanks to its automatic emergency braking system the VW Golf, which ‘happens’ to pass by on the same street right on time, helps to avoid a tragedy and saves the boy’s life.
The video concludes with a “Keep on dreaming, kids!” punchline which is followed by a clear message that says there are “45% fewer Third Party injuries thanks to the Golf and its innovative driver assistance systems.”
Now, although the ad seems to be pretty cheeky, the company cannot trick a real car enthusiast. The cars featured in the video are actually some of VW’s exclusive brands like Bugatti, Lamborghini, or Porsche – and if you weren’t aware of this by now, you should know that they all belong to the VW marques.
It’s a pity that the company didn’t go all way and threw its competitors into the mix… Just like Lyft did with its “It Matters How You Get There” campaign when it teased Uber with a series of funny commercials.
But if we’re talking about comparative advertising, the ridesharing company’s video might not come as the best example, because, technically, it didn’t even mention its opponent’s name. Rather, one of the most memorable ad commercials that successfully used their competitor’s name in one of their campaigns is the Coke vs. Pepsi ad and, of course, the infamous Burger King vs. McDonald’s.
In 2013, PepsiCo decided to celebrate Halloween with an ad that featured a can of Pepsi wearing a Coca-Cola mantle. The tagline? “We wish you a scary Halloween!” Shortly after, Coca-Cola unofficially retaliated with the same image. Only that, this time the message was different:
Three years forward and we see Burger King trolling McDonald’s with another similar ad. The prank took place during Halloween 2016 when a Burger King restaurant in New York City disguised as a McDonald’s ghost. But, the fast-food brand didn’t stop there and continued the game by selling burgers in McDonald’s containers.
If you hadn’t had enough, then sit down, grab some popcorn, and enjoy Burger Kings’s freak show from last year’s Halloween, yet another hilarious dig at McDonald’s. With a scenario that closely mirrors American Horror Story’s Season 7, the fast-food brand released the #ScaryClownNight campaign, which asked customers to come dressed up as clowns in one of their locations if they wanted to receive free Whopper burgers.
Credits:
Client: Volkswagen
Agency: Grabarz & Partner
Images: Business Insider, HubSpot