Polo Driver

German car magazine Auto Bild has released a video on its website showing the making of the ‘With All Senses’ Polo TV spot, currently airing in mainland Europe. To our surprise, it was shot in Pinewood Studios just outside London, and features an enormous inflatable ‘Photo Bubble’ in which was the car, the actors, and all the production staff. Made entirely in the artificially-lit temporary studio, the Polo is shown in a simple, clean, and ‘beautiful’ setting, according to Auto Bild. Directed by ‘Mr Sunderland’ from the UK, the 30-second commercial depicts a prospective blindfolded Polo driver identifying the car only through touch. Head over to Auto Bild’s website to watch the behind the scenes clip, while the finished full spot can be viewed below.

[Image: Auto Bild]

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Here’s a long-forgotten TV commercial for the then-new facelifted Series 2 Polo. Arriving as the first small car range in the UK to fitted with three-way catalytic converters as standard, this clever 50-second TV spot from 1990 features a pristine white GT Coupé parked on a busy street and getting dirtier and dirtier as the seasons and day-to-day life debris pass it by. Soundtracked by ‘Oh What A Beautiful Morning’ (we don’t know singer; the song was covered by so many artists), we remember seeing the ad on TV at the time. As the car gets covered in more and more soot, grime, and weather and traffic-related dirt, the owner drives it off and the pay-off line is revealed: ‘The new Volkswagen Polo. Cars don’t come any cleaner.’ Understated genius.

[Source: m4ttyf via the Club Polo forum.]

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This 53-second is undoubtedly a spoof. We don’t know who’s behind it, but it did make us chuckle. How do we know it not to be real? Some of the fonts used towards the end of the spot aren’t Volkswagen corporate style, and would the company really suggest doing acts usually performed in the boudoir in the new Polo’s interior, however plush it might be? The tale of a nerd who never gets the girl, he seizes his chance and uses his Polo to impress his object of desire. Yes, the subtle humour references are Volkswagen style, but there’s still something about the clip which just isn’t right. And the marketing message? ‘The Polo with sports body work. Impertinently good.’ Thanks to Mark for the link.

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The Polo has prided itself on being a byword for quality in the supermini/small car sector. Over the past 35 years it has been critically acknowledged to be the benchmark for its competitors to aim for in terms of build quality and refinement, strengths that were present in the Series 1 model which debuted back in 1975. This latest Volkswagen TV commercial plays on these identifiable Polo traits to good – if slightly unbelievable – effect and also celebrates the car’s European Car of the Year 2010 win.

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Here’s the last of the four TV commercials in Volkswagen India’s ‘Made in India’ campaign for the Polo (watch them all on PoloDriverTV). Similarly to the other ads in the series, this 30-second clip uses comic humour to highlight a technical aspect of the car – in this case, the safety features – and to convey the message that the Indian-built Polo is tailor-made for Indian drivers, but has the might of German engineering behind it. The ‘Made in India’ campaign also features a wide range of innovative print, outdoor and digital media. The new Polo costs from RS 4.5 lakh, and will face heated competition from the Maruti Swift, Ford Figo, Honda Jazz, Fiat Punto and Hyundai i20.

Volkswagen Polo ‘Made in India’ TV campaign credits
Creative agency: DDB Mudra
Chief creative officer: Bobby Pawar
National creative director: Rajeev Raja
Copy: Rajeev Raja/Hemant Sharma
Art: Ajmal Mohammad
Planning: Michael Follet
Client servicing: Ashish Marwah, Jay Mehta, Punit Bhatt, Vaibhav Bhargava
Agency film department: Tapan Sharma, Anil Sonawane
Production house: Stink
Director: Christopher Von Reiss
Post-production: Redrum
Media agency: Mediacom

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