Anyone who picked up the Times of India dated 21st September would have been, taken aback by a 'talking newspaper'. Volkswagen brought out, what you may call a pathbreaking innovation in using the medium of print.
The full-page ad on Volkswagen's latest offering - the 'Vento' had a small black voice box with a light-sensitive chip stuck onto the ad. When the newspaper was unfolded, the chip got activated by light and the readers could hear a recorded message that spoke of the features of the Vento. This message would stop when the newspaper was folded back.
This creative ad was carried in Times of India and the Hindu across New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai. MediaCom India took care of the positioning; while DDB Mudra developed the creative concept for the ad.
Sources at Volkswagen are tight-lipped on the spends for the ad. However, it is believed that the sound chips cost the company less than Rs.10 each.
Going for a media where everything has been done to death and adding the element of 'sound' to something that is essentially passive is, least to say, a pioneering effort. It also has set new standards for exploiting of the print medium.
Volkswagen has historically been known for trend-setting advertising campaigns. Campaigns for the Beetle which bore the headlines 'Think Small' and 'Lemon' were all creative expressions that established a clear USP for the brand and the 'Beetle' car.
Check the ad out: The Volkswagen Vento ad
you need to be 'original' and innovative to survive and considering the bumper to bumper traffic in this sector, VW has I believe got the pulse of the volk!
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