Key facts
| Brand | Volkswagen (Passat) |
| Year | 2011 (TV debut 6 February, Super Bowl XLV) |
| Agency | Deutsch LA |
| Actor | Max Page as the young Darth Vader |
| Release | On YouTube about a week before the TV date |
| Awards | Gold Film Lion at Cannes, gold Clio, shots Awards TV Commercial of the Year |
What is it about and how was it made?
A boy in a Darth Vader costume tries to use the Force on a washing machine, a dryer, the dog and a doll. Nothing happens until he seems to start the car. In fact his father helps with the remote. The ad promoted the 2012 model-year Passat.
The spot appeared on YouTube about a week before its TV debut on 6 February 2011. Volkswagen and Deutsch LA used the web as a run-up to the most expensive TV window of the year.
Read the numbers with care
View counts differ by date: reports cite about 8 million before the TV airing, about 12 million before kick-off and later more than 23 million according to Volkswagen. We therefore give only the order of magnitude.
What brands can take away (our interpretation)
- Digital first: putting the spot online beforehand builds reach before the expensive TV time starts.
- A small, human story beats the product demo.
- The product appears late; the punchline is the link between character and car.
Planning your own spot? The TV spot production guide explains the process, the agency brief template helps with the commission.
Sources
- Wikipedia: The Force (advertisement)
- shots: TV Commercial of the Year 2011
- Volkswagen press release (PR Newswire)
This article only states facts we can substantiate from the sources linked below. The section “What brands can take away” is our own interpretation.