Strategically Communicating

I believe some of the most successful advertising campaigns are the ones that appeal the to our tendency to be sentimental or nostalgic about our youth.  Over the last few years Volkswagen (with the help of agencies) have launched some of the most talked about campaigns. What these ads have successfully done is link our past affections to our current ones. Volkswagen’s ad launching the 2011 Passat called “The Force” is a prime example of using nostalgia to sell a car. In that short commercial not only we are transported back to our own childhood when we wish we had super powers or possessed the Force but that commercial reminds us that we will share cherished childhood memories with our kids. Another commercial by Volkswagen called “Fast” invokes nostalgia for our youth but ends with the concerns of new parents as we trade “fast” for “safe.” Even thought these ads only seem to make passing references to the attributes of the cars. These ads are successful because other than nostalgia, what sticks in our mind is the Passat has a remote starter and the Jetta is safe.

PS – Sorry Donna, I couldn’t include hyperlinks in my reply for some reason and they seemed pretty relevant.