Volkswagen teams up with soccer legends in support of the Golf GTIHerndon, VA (June 6, 2014) — Volkswagen of America, Inc. today celebrates the start of its new campaign starring the Golf GTI. From television spots featuring world-renowned soccer personalities to social media integrations, Volkswagen is excited for the start of the world’s largest sporting event.
The campaign kicks off with a television spot, “Play by Play” showcasing the 2015 Golf GTI and featuring Andres Cantor, the renowned Argentinian sports commentator who is known around the world for his signature goal celebrations. The spot, which depicts Andres instructing his son Nicolas how to drive the Golf GTI with true fútbol flair, will air in Spanish and English beginning Monday, June 9th. Volkswagen’s Hispanic advertising agency of record, COD, developed the campaign which also includes “Olé, Olé”, an homage to soccer fans everywhere.
“Following the success of our dual language “Vámonos” Passat ad geared towards the Hispanic market, Volkswagen is excited to continue fostering that valued relationship” said Vinay Shahani, Vice President of Marketing, Volkswagen of America. “We are delighted to align Andres’ iconic status in the sports world with Volkswagen’s global brand heritage.”
“While the number of passionate soccer fans continues to grow in the United States, Andres Cantor has the unique ability to speak to the soccer diehards and the freshly minted fans in an impactful way that resonates with both audiences,” said Daniel Marrero, President of COD.
Volkswagen’s campaign extends into TV airwaves by teaming with ESPN talent and soccer personalities Alexi Lalas and Michael Ballack (English language) and Univision’s Félix Fernández and Hristo Stoichkov (Spanish language). The in-studio hosts and former international players have teamed up with Volkswagen to provide co-branded television creative to support the launch of the all-new Golf GTI model.
While fans eagerly await watching their favorite stars shine on the pitch, Volkswagen is excited to reintroduce the world to the high-performance Golf GTI. Volkswagen believes that soccer fans know talent when they see it, making this summer’s tournament the perfect platform to highlight the Golf GTI.
The original hot hatch, the all-new 2015 Golf GTI has a standard 210-horsepower turbocharged and direct-injection TSI® engine that provides more power and torque than its predecessor while delivering better fuel economy. Impressive inside and out, the Golf GTI has seating for five and a trunk that offers more cargo space than any mid-size sedan. Standard features include a touchscreen infotainment system, sport seats, and signature plaid seating surfaces interior.
Volkswagen’s comprehensive campaign will be supported across VW social media channels by Edelman Digital. Since sports are one of the most socially engaging activities online, this summer’s tournament is likely to generate more tweets, posts, and comments than any other sports event in history. Beyond targeted posts and tweets, Volkswagen is teaming with Deutsch LA to create unique activations such as “Goooooooolf Celebration Video“ banners running on ESPN and Univision digital space, giving passionate soccer fans the chance to cheer on their team in a uniquely Volkswagen way. Rounding out the multiplatform campaign is a digital integration with Xbox, through the company’s original, interactive series, “Every Street United”. All videos for the campaign can be found on readysetgolfgti.com.
About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc., an operating unit of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWoA) is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. VWoA’s operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Volkswagen Group is one of the world’s largest producers of passenger cars and Europe’s largest automaker. VWoA sells the Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Eos, Golf, Golf R, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, and Touareg vehicles through approximately 644 independent U.S. dealers.
About Creative On Demand
About CreativeOndemanD- Fully independent and 100% Minority-owned. With offices in Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Buenos Aires, C.O.D provides total market traditional and digital advertising solutions throughout the United States, Mexico and Latin America. C.O.D has been the Hispanic Agency of Record for Volkswagen of America, Inc. since 2002.
