Volkswagen Australia’s delightful new ad tells the charming tale of a remote lighthouse keeper

On the heels of Volkswagen’s lovely, nostalgic Super Bowl campaign, now we get another great commercial from the automaker, this time from Australia. The 90-second spot, created by DDB Sydney and directed by Steve Rogers, tells the story of a lighthouse keeper working in a remote part of the country. In the early scenes, he seems to be waiting for something—it’s not clear what. This is one of those spots where you don’t want to spoil the ending, so see how it unfolds below. There’s so much to like about this spot—the stillness, the wordless storytelling, the impressively subdued performance, the subtle through line of the music. And the line of onscreen text at the end, coupled with the welcoming new tagline, nicely puts a bow on things. This is Volkswagen Group Australia’s first brand campaign in seven years, and they really knocked it out of the park. The campaign will lean heavily into TV advertising and focus on emotional connection to imbue more desirability and feeling into the brand. “It’s not every day you get the opportunity to develop work for such an iconic brand that has such a rich heritage of advertising,” said Matt Chandler, executive creative director at DDB. “With all that past work in mind, we wanted to tell a very simple story, beautifully. One that brings to life the simple joys of taking even the shortest drive. We’re very proud of this little tale and very fortunate to have brought it to life with such great clients and production partners.” Ad Age Young Creatives One could argue “Let’s go for a drive” promotes driving in general more directly than VW specifically, but the separate end line singles out VW—and anyway, the entire spot is clearly about the lighthouse keeper’s choice of vehicle. Crucially, it’s an emotional choice—something practically all purchases are, but is maybe even stronger with automobiles. “Great cars don’t just take you somewhere, they make you feel something. And some cars simply do it better than others,” said Jenny Mak, DDB creative partner. “There’s a transformative power that comes from spending time in a quality car, and it’s a power everyone deserves to experience. The brand campaign is offering an invitation to people to remember what driving can be—an invitation that says, ‘Let’s go for a drive.’” Michal Szaniecki, Volkswagen Australia passenger vehicles managing director, said the work builds on the storied VW/DDB partnership that of course dates back to the “Think Small” days of the ’50s and ’60s. “We felt a connection to the creative concept from the beginning and felt it spoke directly to who we are as a brand and how we want people to feel when driving our cars,” he said. “We are incredibly proud of the outcome and the way it represents the experience of driving with Volkswagen.”

Volkswagen Australia’s delightful new ad tells the charming tale of a remote lighthouse keeper

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