VW’s new ad scores for the cute factor. What’s not to love about a sweet kid in a Darth Vader costume? I thought the ad was adorable and fell deeper in love when I saw the adorable little boy, with the heart condition, out of costume. The ad went viral but is that enough to sell cars?
The struggle between creative and bottom line dollars is nothing new. Corporations want Marketing and PR to deliver visibility and creativity but if sales are down those departments are the first to be cut. Truthfully, I never bought into the epic battle with lines drawn, companies need all of the disciplines working together to reach their goals and today that is easier than ever to achieve.
Many say the lines have blurred between marketing, PR, sales and SEO. In truth, the lines have been articulated requiring deeper skill sets. What has changed are the lines of control. To be truly effective the disciplines must work collaboratively, sharing intelligence and co-creating ideas and campaigns with mutual respect for everyone’s unique skill set. The bottom line should be the same for everyone for without customers or profit you are not in business.
Yes there is room for cute kids with the force as long as that force drives action to the bottom line.
Posted via email from Marketing, Musings and More from Karen Swim
karen says
John, I agree the connection to the brand was not strong enough but it is an adorable ad. Yikes, your sister in law is right, how many moms across America cringed at the end?
John Soares says
I loved the ad, but VW is only linked to Darth Vader junior at the end, so the connection to the car company isn’t that strong.
And my sister-in-law immediately commented on whether or not the car could slip into gear and run over the kid.
karen says
Hi Andrew, great point about VW’s history of engagement. I like the ad but would not have remembered that it was a VW ad. However, if I were in the market for a car and VW was a choice perhaps that fact would have stuck with me. Interesting to consider.
karen says
Alina, Yes! We need to stop the fighting and work toward the common goal. Thanks for the insight!
Alina Popescu says
Karen, you are so right! PR pros, marketers, sales people and SEO experts should spend more time on finding out how to best work together to generate revenue instead of fighting over who does what and who should be in charge of what. The goal is common: make sure the company/client you work for is profitable.
Andrew Ward says
VW has a history of connecting well with people. The ad was cute, and given that the majority of car purchases are by or influenced by women- VW is going to drive incremental sales with that cute ad.