For Volkswagen, happy days are here again.

Volkswagen of America is embracing the unique positioning of the ID Buzz electric minivan and will pair the vehicle with optimistic and joyful messaging for the nameplate’s U.S. marketing campaign, which debuted today with an ad from Johannes Leonardo. The vehicle is featured in scenes of people bringing levity to everyday life moments, backed by Elaine Stritch’s 1956 recording of “Are you having any fun?”

The ID Buzz, with styling that harks back to VW’s Microbus of the 1960s and a palette of lively color options, is set to stand out in a market dominated by crossovers and other light trucks.

Rachael Zaluzec, VW of America’s senior VP of customer experience and brand marketing, said the marketing pitch aims to leverage the positive emotions generated by the ID Buzz across the VW lineup.

“Yes, it’s a Buzz campaign,” Zaluzec said, “but it’s effectively a brand campaign.”

Zaluzec said the overall concept for the advertising rollout is to lean into optimism. “It’s a campaign that makes you smile,” Zaluzec told Automotive News last week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. “It’s a campaign with a lot of energy to it.”

The spot will get heavy Thanksgiving Day airplay, including during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, National Dog Show on NBC and NFL football programming. 

Zaluzec said the campaign kick-started Nov. 18 with what she called out-of-home advertising: The brand selected places with heavy foot traffic, such as New York City and airports, to broadcast imagery of the vehicle.

VW also utilized a large digital screen at a hotel across the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center, home to the L.A. Auto Show, for ID Buzz marketing. Southern California is a major electric vehicle market.

“The campaign you’ll see is basically heavy-hitting through the end of December, but then continuing into the beginning of the year as well,” Zaluzec said. The buy includes social media.

VW briefly included the ID Buzz in its Super Bowl commercial last February, but Zaluzec said she does not anticipate an ad for the big game in 2025. 

VW has found additional star power to herald the ID Buzz in other ways. Gabriel Iglesias, a popular stand-up comedian with a massive social media following, happens to be a VW bus superfan. He attended the unveiling of the long-wheelbase ID Buzz in June 2023 and has a large bus collection.

Iglesias took delivery of an ID Buzz in late October, making him the first customer in the U.S. The handoff was documented on social media and shared via Iglesias’ and VW’s accounts.

While VW has launched a few refreshed products in 2024, the ID Buzz is the first new nameplate added to the brand’s portfolio since the Taos subcompact crossover went on sale in 2021.

The ID Buzz is arriving at dealerships now and starts at $61,545 including shipping, making it the brand’s most expensive model. VW executives have said ID Buzz allocations will be determined based on how markets performed with another electric vehicle, the ID4.

Zaluzec said it’s atypical to launch a vehicle at the end of the year, a period during which most industry advertising is focused on year-end sales events and holiday messages of goodwill.

Andrew Savvas, VW’s head of U.S. sales, says the ID Buzz’s styling is generating positive reactions while creating goodwill for the brand. One of the vehicle’s design hallmarks is at the front: With a pair of large headlights and a wide lower grille, the ID Buzz appears to be smiling.

“I know it sounds corny,” Savvas said, “but when people see you in this car, they smile.”

Ad Age contributed to this story.