The ads support the Beetle's reputation as a young and fun brand, showing the car with its roof down with weather symbols representing weather changing from rain to sunshine, outlining the contour of where the roof was. The tagline on the ad reads: 'New Beetle Cabriolet. True Feedom. Soft-Top that's automatically open in 13 seconds'.
"As a brand, VW wants a substantial and premium, yet unpretentious, image," said Lee & DDB's V-P, Les Edwards. "This execution says New Beetle Cabriolet is a premium and carefree car for drivers seeking relaxation, and it showcases an important product feature -- 13 seconds to open -- in a very charming manner."
Product brand ads will run in national newspapers and magazines while ads with contact information for specific dealers will appear in the regional press.
Media is handled by MediaCom. The jaunty tone of the new ad chimes with the now well-established 'wellbeing' trend in Korea as Koreans pay more attention to a balanced lifestyle, following the introduction of a five-day working week, Edwards pointed out. "What better way to relax than with the top down, enjoying the open air with friends?" he said.
Volkswagen is also running a retail promotion, with online and POP support, to coincide with the new campaign, to mark the production of 100 million vehicles by the carmaker in Europe.
The Beetle is VW's most popular car in Korea, giving the company a young, fun and feminine image. Volkswagen however is seeking to gain a more serious reputation by introducing higher-end luxury models such as Phaeton, Touareg and New Passat. The automaker recently set up a national sales company, Volkswagen Korea, which began operations at the beginning of the year.