VW has launched its latest advert ahead of the US Super Bowl this weekend.
The advert is a follow-up to last year’s Little Darth one which we lampooned to reveal the Dark Side of VW’s environmental claims. It still riffs on a Star Wars theme and throws in a cute dog for good measure, but is there any mention of supporting ambitious climate laws?
Any room for a mention of radical efficiency improvements across VW’s range? Or just generally living up to VW’s ambitious claims of being the greenest car company on the planet?
Sadly not, but I think it’s a missed opportunity. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest television events in the world so why not use it to announce some brave green measures?
That got me thinking: how could this advert be changed to show the real VW? The one that’s lobbying against new laws to reduce emissions from vehicles in Europe. The one that won’t meet with our campaign team for a chat.
How about improving VW’s advert? Download the video and give it a make-over. Then post it on our Facebook page.
Drop in some new footage, add some subtitles, or revoice the guys propping up the cantina bar. Feel free to use clips from any Greenpeace films - how about Episode I or Episode II of our original VW film, or some footage of stormtroopers in action in London and Brussels? Or even a guest spot for Brian the rebellious stormtrooper?
Once you have your mash-up masterwork complete, upload you video to YouTube (or whichever video website you fancy) - if you give it a similar title to the original (it's called The Dog Strikes Back: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial), there's a chance it will appear alongside it in any search results. Then post it on our Facebook page.
I know you’ll be able to improve on it immeasurably. And after all, dogs? Star Wars? What’s the connection?
Download the video file and get cracking on your own VW advert. No prizes I’m afraid, but I’ll showcase some of the best ones here.
