Volkswagen has released a new Golf campaign, via DDB Sydney, that takes us back to our childhood dreams of what we imagined the future might look like.
The new Australian campaign centres around the global Volkswagen framework ‘We make the future real’, celebrating the brand’s innovative and industry-leading technology.
“Golf is the iconic small hatch and continues to set the standard for innovation and first to market technologies,” Ben Wilks, general manager of marketing Volkswagen, said.
“The Golf 7.5 brings Gesture Control, Driver Personalisation, a new level of advanced safety and a more powerful entry level 110TSI engine. Our resolve to make the future real is made tangible by this, the world’s best small car,” he said.
The campaign’s TVC, produced with Goodoil Films and Director JH Beetge, is an 80’s throwback with a futuristic vibe.
“When we were young, we dreamed of what the future would look like. Virtual reality, cars that flew, all of that. We took that idea to the new Golf campaign, looking at the ‘making the future real’ concept through the lense of a child and featuring the 80’s gaming and futuristic icons we all grew up with,” Jade Manning, DDB creative partner said.
“We can all relate to being a kid and being fascinated with futuristic things, and what’s really cool is that for this kid his dreams do come true in adulthood with his Golf,” he said.
The TVC goes hand in hand with a virtual reality (VR) 360 degree film that will be featured on social media platforms and in selected dealerships. VR has only been integrated with TV in this way on a few occasions in Australia, complementing the campaign by allowing the user to step inside the creative.
“This campaign is a brilliant and unique combination of the digital and TV worlds. The 360 is an extension of the TVC, in which the hero character takes us on a tour inside of the Golf,” DDB creative partner Vincent Osmond said.
“It’s a trip back in time, showing not only all of the car’s great new features but also the boy’s bedroom and the ever-changing environment around him, making it far more engaging than a regular 360 film, and really tangible for the public,” he said.
The 360 video was a collaborative effort with creative studio Alt.vfx
“Inspired by the themes of the TVC, we took our collaboration with DDB to new heights with this VR experience, presenting the new Golf’s key features as collectable items in a futuristic VR game,” Alt’s Creative Lead Tyrone Estephan, said.
“Being an 80s kid, it was a real blast to be able to express ourselves within this aesthetic and also bring our own unique bent to it,” he said.
“We took a scan of the bedroom on set using photogrammetry, and I started the time- consuming task of hand painting each pixel over the scene. That’s how it was done when I started my career building 8bit computer games,” Alt’s VR supervisor Raymond Leung, said.
“It’s actually been a really cathartic experience, and totally the legitimate way to go retro- futuristic,” he said.
The campaign will run across all digital, social, outdoor and TV for three months.
Credits
DDB Sydney
Chief Creative Officer – Ben Welsh
Creative Partners – Vincent Osmond and Jade Manning Art Director – Trong Ronakiat
Copywriter – Shane Geffen
Managing Director – Nicole Taylor
Managing Partner – Mandy Whatson
Business Director – Lisa Little-Cain
Business Executive – Catherine Cumming
Head of TV Integrated content – Sevda Cemo
Senior Producer – Tash Johnson
Planning Partner – Graham Sweet
Volkswagen Australia
General Manager Marketing – Ben Wilks
Marketing Communications Manager – Rowena Kanna Brand Communications Manager – Julia Reimnitz
Production Partners
Production house – Goodoil Films Director – JH Beetge
Executive Producer- Sam Long Producer – Chana McLallen
Editor – The Editors/David Whittaker Colorist – Billy Wychegel
VFX – Alt VFX – TVC & 360
Producer – Tyron Estephan
Animation – New Holland – Animation Creative/Sound Engineer – Sonar Sound Producer – Anwyn Watkins
