Volkswagen Helps You See What's All but Invisible, Says New Ad

Drivers face the danger of hitting what they can’t see, such as a woman and her dog running through the park on a foggy night.

Such a scenario plays out in adam&eveDDB London’s unconventional TV and cinema spot touting the Night Vision assistance technology aboard Volkswagen’s flagship Touraeg Black Edition.

Actually, you won’t see the jogger and her best friend until the end, which is very much the point:

We follow the woman’s progress via silhouettes cast by streetlights, exhalations of breath and echoing footsteps. (The bit with the unseen dog playing in a pile of leaves is especially inspired.) Meanwhile, a tired, preoccupied businessman heads home in his Touraeg.

Now, we know the two stories are on a collision course of some kind, but director Niclas Larsson deftly keeps us off balance until the closing frames. Throughout, the beguiling visuals and spare piano soundtrack drive up the tension.

In fact, the whole setup suggests the confusion one might experience behind the wheel at night. The phantom presence of the woman and her dog (perhaps inadvertently) signal an impending tragedy that could transform flesh-and-blood beings into ghostly shadows of their former selves. Overall, the two-minute film, which broke Friday across the U.K., memorably illustrates how VW technology can help avert tragedy.

Props to director of photography Linus Sandgren (La La Land, No Time to Die), composer Carlos Cipa and the post-production staff at Untold Studios for helping create an eerily effective ride.

CREDITS

Client: Volkswagen
Brand: Touareg
Project/Campaign name:  See the Unseen
First Air Date: 22nd February
Client: Geraldine Ingham – Head of Marketing Volkswagen UK / Glyn Butterworth – National Communications Manager Volkswagen UK / Katie Blesovsky – Communications Manager Volkswagen UK
Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim
Executive Creative Director/s: Ant Nelson / Mike Sutherland
Creative Director/s: Paul Knott / Tim Vance
Copywriter: Paul Knott
Art director: Tim Vance
Agency producer/s: Nikki Cramphorn / Nia Maclean
Planner/s: Sarah Morning
Managing Partner: Michael McConville
Account Director/s: David Woolfe / Steve Halliday
Business Affairs: Dolores King / Klaudia Jozewicka
Media agency: PHD
Media planner/s: Matt Holiday / Michael Bensley
Production company: new-land London
Executive Producer: Trine Pillay
Director: Niclas Larsson
Cinematographer: Linus Sandgren
Editor: Carla Luffe
Post Production: Untold Studios
Post Producer: Ian Berry / Ellie Joseph
VFX Supervisor: Tom Raynor / Alex Gabucci
Colourist: Sofie Borup
Music Supervisor: Leland Music (Abi Leland / Toby Williams)
Audio Post Production: Factory Studios
Soundtrack name and composer: Carlos Cipa
Sound Designer: Anthony Moore / James Utting
Sound Producer: Deborah Whitfield
Grade: Company 3