John's Blog

This week’s post is downright exciting – it includes, in my opinion, the coolest advertisement I have ever seen (a gift to the advertising world from the rock n’ roll gods if you will). So let’s cut straight to the chase; this article from the New York Times focuses on how television ads are finding new life on the Internet. People are actively seeking out ads they perceived as funny, clever, or interesting and sharing them with others. In particular, the article points out Volkswagen’s “VW Life” (a section of the web site devoted to TV spots and promotions), Master Card’s “Priceless” campaign, and Budweiser’s Super Bowl Ads. These companies, along with countless others, have experienced a substantial boost in ad effectiveness and viewing by having their best ads readily available online.

As I mentioned, this article discusses Volkswagen and for the remainder of this post I will shift attention to their latest advertising campaign. VW first aired their newest commercial only three days ago. It features rock legend lead guitar player Slash (former member of Guns n Roses, current member of Velvet Revolver) rocking out with two stacks of Volkswagen vehicles acting as amplifiers. Haven’t seen it yet? Want to see it another 1, 2, or 15 times? Look no further than YouTube. If you buy a new VW they will include a First Act electric guitar that plugs into the audio system of the car.

You will find that on the VW website they have included another interesting twist to this promotion. They are hosting the online “Rock God Battle”, where they are encouraging rockers to make recordings of their own loud, energetic, unruly riffs and submit them to VW.com. After four rounds of competition an “Uber Rock God” will be crowned, who also wins a black on black guitar signed by Slash himself. Wow... WOOOW!

Relating directly to my article, awareness of this promotion spread like wildfire because of the Internet. The commercial was posted on YouTube the same night that it aired, and a VW message board simultaneously began discussing every aspect of the promotion. On top of that, the ad is headlined as the first item browsers view on the VW homepage. Rock on V-dub!

- JJC Jr