Can David Hasselhoff Save Volkswagen
March 23, 2008 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
At the risk of sounding overly pessimistic, I have to say I don’t have high hopes for Volkswagen’s new ad campaign. In an attempt to boost sales during a down time for the VW brand (sales fell 32% over the past 5 years), the company is set to launch a new ad campaign in April that is not likely to be particularly helpful. Why? Well, it seems as though there might be no better way to make your brand less appealing than to attach David Hasselhoff to it.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m really tired of seeing celebrities whose time has clearly past be resurrected again and again. Volkswagen is trying to get in touch with its German roots, so the company has chosen Hasselhoff and Heidi Klum to appear in their ads. I can understand Heidi Klum (although I think her brand is getting a bit oversaturated these days), but despite David Hasselhoff’s popularity in Germany, his star has already risen and fallen in the U.S.
The second problem with the new Volkswagen campaign is the talking 1964 Beetle named Max who will be the new brand spokesperson spokescar. According to Richard Fisher, chairman of the Volkswagen National Dealer Council, Max will be the voice of the brand, and, “He can speak about anything having to do with Volkswagen, about products or offers.” Let’s just say I have doubts about a talking car and David Hasselhoff in the same commercial.
What do you think? Does this seem like a huge miss for Volkswagen? I have to wonder who approved this. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see the commercials. Perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised, but I doubt it.
Photo Source: Flickr
Tags: Volkswagen, David Hasselhoff, Heidi Klum, brand strategy, advertising, brand spokesperson, VW
I agree that David doesn’t compliment the brand. Tiger doesn’t drive a Buick, and the Hoff doesn’t drive a bug.
Volkswagen always seemed to have success as a youthful means of transport. When I think of the bug, I think surfers, free spirits, etc. and the same was true for the Cabriolet, Rabbit and other models. Maybe they should focus their attention there, make their brand relevant to a younger crowd and capture some market share that Toyota’s Scion lineup attracted.