DDB Sydney.
Volkswagen, through its campaign Batteries Included by creative agency DDB Sydney, wanted to capture what it felt like to be driving its new electric vehicle (EV) models.
The work positions the new EV range in a light hearted, Australian tone, bringing the range into the Volkswagen Let’s go for a drive world.
“We wanted to capture the joy of driving a Volkswagen, pushing towards the EV without moving too far away from the brand,” DDB Sydney’s creative director Tom Lawrence told AdNews.
“We wanted to sell the EV. We didn't want a story of EV versus petrol, as they still have a huge amount of petrol cars to sell."
DDB Sydney’s creative director Sam Raftl said the idea was to capture the feeling of driving an EV for the first time.
“So much of the EV work that’s currently out there is all very same, same," Raftl said.
"And Volkswagen didn't want to talk about futurism, or leaning into the environmental benefits of electric, it was too saturated.
“They wanted to continue on the platform of ‘let's go for a drive,’ which is what they implemented in the campaign a year earlier. It was just a matter of building upon that brand platform and tailoring towards the EV space.
“So we thought, 'how do we tap into the emotional advantage of being in one of these cars, rather than being in the proof point wars?”
“We stayed away from proof points and tried to capture the feeling of driving an EV.
“The inside of it feels quite cozy-ish, exciting and exhilarating."
The campaign was filmed entirely in Goulburn, NSW, in three days.
Raftl said the location allowed them to emphasise both the regional and city sides of Australia.
“We wanted to show a slice of all of Australia,” Raftl said.
“And Goulburn allowed us to do some regional locations, while building up a city centre as well.
“Through set design and craft, from rural to city, we built Australia over three days.”
Lawrence said that the locals in the schools of Goulburn thought the buildings on-set were real.
Lawrence said that the highlights on-set was interacting with the Goulburn residents.
There were setbacks in working with the horse.
“All of the stores were built, and so the locals at the public school thought they were getting a new pizza shop,” Lawrence said.
“And getting the horse in the campaign to do what you want it to do was a bit tricky. We started running out of time on the horse shot. But luckily, everything kind of went right.”
The campaign features Patsy Biscoe’s 1966 tune ‘When I Grow Up.’
Finding the right track was a big part of the journey and crucial to the tone of the campaign.
“We needed to find one that landed that nostalgia and child's spirit, in a way which didn't feel too hammy or forced,” Raftl said.
“We listened to so many tracks and the one we found was recorded in the 60s.
"She’s an Australian children's artist, but it was a song that she released before she became famous and a children's performer.
“That was the final piece, it added such a dimension to the film.”
DDB Sydney have released multiple campaigns since Volkswagen’s ‘Let’s Go for a Drive’ in 2024. Their 2024 ‘RooBadge’ campaign won 1 silver and 2 bronze Lions at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
Lawrence said Volkswagen’s clarity, simplicity and storytelling in their film reflected the working style at DDB Sydney.
“We have always had this belief in emotional storytelling and the power of motion to move markets and to move people.”
“I think that's very much reflected in this work.
“Volkswagen, after the success of Cannes, will hopefully have some real impact, not only just in the award space, but as a product.
“They will continue to work with us to develop more innovative ideas and be kind of non-traditional, But I think they'll always have their mainstay to be filled as well.”
The next step in the Volkswagen journey is working on tying all the brand’s models together.
“We’re creating an ad construct that can be used for a bunch of different models across EV the passenger cars and commercial cars,” Raftl said.
“It’s a big job, a bit more hard work on some specific features and it might have price sponsor on it.
“It’s classic Volkswagen with a bit of a modern twist."
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.