An avid mountain climber and head of the country's largest property development group, Vanke, Wang Shi talks about the thrills and spills of conquering peaks, which forms the backdrop to demonstrate Touareg's positioning as "the luxury SUV that conquers all road conditions".
Vanke is a client of Grey Global Group China, whose Beijing office produced the film.
Rated as one of the top five most influential businessmen in the country by China Entrepreneur, Wang speaks largely unscripted. The free-flowing voice-over allows his persona to come through as a believable spokesperson in a sea of celebrity clutter.
In the opening scene, Wang recounts a life or death struggle when his safety rope snaps during a climb in China's Xinjiang province. "If I radioed for help, it would be two days before they reached me. I would be dead by then. The only way to survive was to rely on myself," he recounts in the film.
"Wang is not just known for his business acumen; he's also known for being a mountain climber. He's passionate, courageous, determined ... an all-rounder, the same qualities that the Touareg has as an all-road vehicle," said Viveca Chan, Grey's chairman and CEO for China and Hong Kong. "Chinese consumers can identify with what he is saying. They admire people who've started with nothing, who've endured suffering and yet managed to make something out of their lives."
Wang's rise following years of hardship conveys optimism in the future, one that Chinese consumers relate to in the belief that success depends on personal effort, added Chan.
A print campaign has since rolled out, covering newspapers and magazines, including inflight titles.
VW is the latest auto giant to launch an SUV following the introduction of about 17 SUV models in the first half of last year. Sales of SUVs hit about 60,000 units in the first half of 2003, but are expected to climb to 150,000 this year.
