Greenpeace Darth Vader spoof campaign

Greenpeace have launched a nice campaign in response to VW apparently “using its huge political muscle to lobby against key environmental laws”, using a follow up video continuing from the Little Vader Star Wars Superbowl ad released earlier this year.  The Greenpeace video continues from the point the VW ad ends, in a quirky viral which includes miniature versions of the rebel alliance asking users to join them in their fight against the 'Darkside'.  Other activity included guerrilla takeovers of outdoor sites across the capital today, using the Darth Vader imagery with a url to their website www.vwdarkside.com

Pic - Greenpeace Volkswagen Darth Vader spoof campaign

For those of you who haven't yet seen the original ad this can be found below, along with another video from Marvel which spoofed the ad for the release of the Thor movie in April.


Video - The Force: Volkswagen Commercial


Video - Little Thor


So what do you think, is this a just move by Greenpeace and will gather adequate momentum?


Hat tip to Sheepers for sending this through!!

Volkswagen Black Beetle YouTube Takeover.. and others

Maybe not a post for those who are not a fan of creepy crawlies, however a great example of another YouTube takeover for the VW Black Beetle. The video takeover which can be viewed at youtube.com/blackbeetle and acts as an extension to their fantastically popular Super Bowl commercial showing a beetle running around the undergrowth past the other traffic, knocking down the screen and disrupting the other insects as it goes. I have included the ad under the screenshot below for those who have not seen it.



Pic - Volkswagen Black Beetle YouTube Takeover


Video - Volkswagen Commercial: Black Beetle

Also look out for the dragonfly which follows your cursor around after the video, a nice touch I think.


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Volkswagen Twitter ad and Spotify Campaigns.

Okay now before we get started I just want to clarify that these are different campaigns; however are both good examples of utilising emerging media platforms such as Spotify and Twitter.


Let’s start with Spotify… Spotify is a brilliant application which allows users to listen to any music they wish to for free, and is still growing at a rate of at least 10,000 new users every day! It’s purely ad funded (well there is a premium service for those who are still mortified by the very prospect of seeing a banner on their screen) and due to the clean nature of the app can achieve very impressive standout for an ad.





Volkswagen in Sweden decided to use the music application for their Passat EcoFuel Jazz Calculator campaign which allowed users to plot their journey cross country in Jazz miles. The site calculates the Kilometres, and CO2 emissions for your journey, as well as the time it will take, and creates a Jazz playlist which can play out throughout that time (which you can then save to your Spotify account).





This is a great idea, however would be a lot more interesting if you could download it to your mobile, via the Spofity App (due to land later this year) and play it through you car stereo.



So… Twitter. This is a really cool example of utilising Twitter without pulling users away from the site they are currently on. Volkswagen has created this neat ad which looks at the info from your Twitter stream and recommends the car most relevant to you.



Pic 1 - VW Twitter Rich Media ad


I really like the simplicity of this ad, test it for yourself here (Volkswagen Rich Media Twitter ad), and if you still do not have a Twitter account why not try a celeb Twitter name. I’ve posted some examples below.



Pic 2 - VW Twitter ad: Jonathon Ross (@Wossy)



Pic 3 - VW Twitter ad: Demi Moore (@mrskutcher)


Via - Adverblog

Classic Guinness ad given second chance to shine

Over the last few days you may have noticed that in the National Press there have been appearances from a few classic brands and their adverts of yesteryear. The ads are appearing in the latest campaign by the Newspaper Marketing Agency, which includes the brands Guinness, Volkswagen, and Heinz, all of which over the years have used newspapers to strengthen and grow their brand.

The adverts appearing are as follows:



Original 'Toucan' Guinness advert (1930s - 1980s) next to Newspaper Marketing Agency 'Iconic Ads - Toucan' version



Original 'Lemon' Volkswagen advert (1959) alongside Newspaper Marketing Agency 'Iconic Ads - Lemon' version



Original 'Ketchup' Heinz advert (2007) alongside Newspaper Marketing Agency 'Iconic Ads - Ketchup' version


This is a nice way during this time to remind everyone of the strengths of different media channels, and although the NMA focuses more and more on how Newspapers are evolving and moving forward. It is also important to remember the success stories, and showcase those historic campaigns which still look comfortable and at home in the National Press, perhaps the most traditional of advertising channels.

For more information on this campaign, or to test your knowledge with the 'Iconic Quiz' click through to the Newspaper Marketing Agency here: Newspaper Marketing Agency website