Volkswagen tackles road fears head on in its latest horror-movie-style campaign to launch the 2021 Tiguan. The stylish new film and series of horror posters conceived by DDB Sydney highlight the anxieties some of us have on the road; like parallel parking, giant roundabouts, and merging onto a four-lane highway.
And by some of us, we mean the vast majority. The campaign was based on new research revealing 79 per cent of Australians have some kind of driving anxiety, with a whopping 59 per cent of drivers fearing parallel parking – embarrassed of holding up traffic or worried they’ll hit another car while trying to park.
Volkswagen Australia marketing communications manager Rowena Kanna said: “The research highlighted what we knew to be true, albeit anecdotally, which is that these little road stresses can quickly creep up to become genuine anxieties and fears.
“The new Volkswagen Tiguan helps conquer these fears thanks to I.Q. DRIVE, an intelligent driver assistance system with features such as Front Assist, Pedestrian Monitoring, and Lane Assist. We’re confident this exciting and unique campaign will cut through in a cluttered SUV market.”
DDB Sydney creative directors Tim Woolford and Tommy Cehak said: “We’re not scared of driving. Although parallel parking makes us anxious. Actually, merging is nerve-racking… and we suppose people are pretty distracted by their phones these days, so that’s a worry…”
The visually arresting posters were created in collaboration with acclaimed Canadian movie poster artist Matt Ryan Tobin, who, during his illustrious career, has worked with the likes of Disney, Marvel, 20th Television (formerly known as 20th Century Fox), and Warner Brothers.
The film, directed by Revolver’s Bruce Hunt, is an homage to the psychological horror genre and was filmed on location in sub-zero temperatures in New South Wales’ Oberon.
The integrated campaign is part of the ‘Life feels better in a Volkswagen’ platform, and is running across TV, online, OOH, radio and social, with interactive AR to launch later in the year.
CREDITS
Client: Volkswagen Australia
Marketing Communications Manager: Rowena Kanna
Brand Communications Specialist: Julie Scarff
Agency: DDB Sydney Chief Creative Officer: Ben Welsh
Executive Creative Director – Matt Chandler
Creative Director: Tommy Cehak
Creative Director: Tim Woolford
Copywriter: Tom Lawrence
Art Director: Sam Raftl
Chief Strategy Officer: Fran Clayton
Planning Director: James Davis
Managing Partner: Mandy Whatson
Senior Business Director: Nicole Drabsch
Business Manager: Izzy Crohan
Head of Integrated Content: Renata Barbosa
Senior TV Producer: Natalie Greaves
Senior Print Producer: John Wood
Senior Designer: Paul Jansen
Senior Finished Artist: Jose Rodrigues
Production Company: Revolver
Post Production: Blackbird
Music: Turning Studios
Sound: Rumble
Poster illustrator: Matt Ryan Tobin
Media: PHD
