MIDDLE EAST
CREAIN FOCUSTIVE SHOWCASE
VOLKSWAGEN
PASSAT R36:
Rishad Lawyer Steve Raby
Creative director
Gulf Promoaction DDB
AIR MILES
Teacher
AGENCY VIEW: PUBLIC VIEW:
Stock tactics Simply terrifying
The ad is for the launch of the VW Pas- I don’t know about you, but this ad puts
sat R36. The Passat is a luxury car, but this me in mind of those amateur mobile
particular model—the R36—is all about
Agency: Gulf Promoaction DDB
phone videos from a couple of years
power; it’s the sport version, with a turbo-
Creative director: Rishad Lawyer
ago, of unsuspecting drivers hitting the
charged V6 engine. new speed bumps on Jumeirah Beach
It was a straightforward brief, but—be- Road and taking off. Remember? It’s not
cause it’s a niche model—we were working a situation you really want to be in, is
within a tight budget. There was no chance it—travelling at high speed, your front
of doing a proper photo shoot, so we had to wheels off the ground. The wheels you
work with stock shots from the marketing steer with.
database. And do so while avoiding making God forbid a little old lady should
a completely generic advert. walk out in front of you.
It’s piggybacking off the current craze for I could be missing the point, I sup-
giving away air miles. You had Citibank ty- pose. Or the joke. “Any faster and we’d
ing up with Emirates and then anyone and have to give you air miles.” I do get it, but
everyone seemed to think they should do I still can’t stop thinking, “Any faster and
it too. So we used that to make a relevant we’d have to give you mouth-to-mouth
regional connection. And that little touch— resuscitation.”
lifting the front wheels—tied in perfectly to Visually, the ad’s okay—nice car, nice
the copy. Then we played around with the colouring, nice buildings in the back-
road slightly to make it look like a runway. ground. There’s a sleek, urban feel to it
The background could be anywhere. But all. And the blurry office blocks could be
it does look as though it could be Sheikh Dubai—they look kind of Emaar-y. Oth-
Zayed Road, which is part of the reason erwise, I don’t see too much relevance,
why it worked. besides the fact that the person behind
Is the ad encouraging people to speed? the wheel is driving like a freak.
Not really. Obviously, there’s a certain sus- Which brings me back to that point
pension of disbelief—and a certain level of again: Look at the guy behind the
exaggeration—when you do any ad. Asking wheel—do we really, living in this city,
if it encourages people to speed is a bit like need to be encouraging young men to
asking, “Can the car really fly?” No. It can’t. drive like maniacs?
It’s piggybacking off I get the joke, but
the current craze I still can’t stop
for giving away air thinking, ‘Any faster
miles. We used that and we’d have to give
to make a relevant you mouth-to-mouth
regional connection. resuscitation.’
And lifting the
front wheels tied in
Actually, now I look again, is that fear
I see on his face? Or murder, maybe.
perfectly to the copy. Who knows.
I understand that VW needed to
Speed equates to prestige—especially do something with speed or power or
in this market. The Passat is already posi- something here—that’s what they’re
tioned as VW’s luxury automobile, and this selling with this car, right? But couldn’t
ad just heightens its stature by highlighting they have been a little less heavy hand-
its speed. That’s why people would buy it. ed? Maybe I’m a bit of a softy, but I’m
It was up against another ad with the same not sure this ad makes me want to rush
visual from Germany, which said, “Pilot’s li- out and buy a Passat. It might make me
cense not necessary. But helpful.” I think the want to rush out and buy life insurance.
client found that both were strong, but ours
had that touch of regional relevance.
28 / 25 JANUARY 2009 www.mediaweekme.com
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