From The New York Times:
Volkswagen may have retired its unwieldy “Fahrvergnügen” slogan, but a quirky new ad campaign for the struggling carmaker is once again invoking its German heritage.
Along with faux-German catch phrases (“Straight outta da Autobahn” and “Fast as schnell”), the campaign introduces Helga, a blonde in white go-go boots who demonstrates the features of the redesigned Volkswagen GTI Mk V hatchback.
“We’re going to celebrate our Germanness,” said Kerri Martin, the director of brand innovation for Volkswagen of America in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Revisiting the national origin of a brand is a technique other car companies have used with significant success. Last year, Mitsubishi Motors played up Japanese pop culture in a campaign for its redesigned Eclipse sport coupe.
The target audience for the GTI is undeniably male: Volkswagen chose to unveil the new campaign on Thursday by holding a news conference at the office of Playboy magazine in New York. Print ads for the GTI are scheduled to run in magazines like Maxim, Spin, ESPN, Wired and Autoweek.
Dan Goldgeier
David Burn
Shawn Hartley
Wade Sturdivant