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The above campaign, created by Ogilvy Cape Town,  tells stories using line ups of Volkswagen Crafters from different businesses. In this way, it demonstrates just how versatile the Crafter can be.

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There comes a time in every legend’s career when it must retire. For Volkswagen’s iconic hatchback, the Citi, this is that time. Having provided 25 years of loyal service and colourful motoring, the Citi is now retiring. But like most legends, it’s not going to leave without a proper farewell. So, in celebration of this occasion, Volkswagen South Africa is launching a countrywide campaign to say goodbye to this legend of the South African roads.

VW made big news when they decided to discontinue the Citi Golf, but you haven’t seen the last of it yet. VW’s agency, Ogilvy Cape Town, is taking the very last Citi on a victory lap around South Africa  to give everyone an opportunity to say goodbye by signing what really has become the “people’s car”. For advertising purposes, Ogilvy will be filming the entire journey to create a “true-to-life documentation of the tour” that will be turned into a farewell TV commercial for Citi.

And for those who can’t meet the Citi on tour, the entire victory lap can be followed at goodbyeciti.co.za and on Goodbye Citi’s Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube pages – where people have already started posting goodbye messages and Citi memories like this:

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2005, TBWA/G1, Nissan Micra

2009, Ogilvy Cape Town, Volkwagen Polo

Stolen idea or pure coincidence? Great ads, though and the second version is executed much better.

Ogilvy is nominated for a Loerie this year for their rendition of this concept. Justified?

(Edit: Although this specific execution is not a Loerie Finalist this year, the website and the online banners for the campaign is; along with the full campaign that made it to the Mixed Media category.)

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This is the latest work done by Ogilvy Cape Town for the new VW Golf. Great advertising often relies on great storytelling, this ad does that and leaves you with the warm fuzzy feeling that South African’s have come to associate with the VW brand. Click through for the press release.

Art directors: Prabashan Pather and Michael Lees-Rolfe
Copywriter: Sanjiv Mistry.
Golf launch ads are always big news for both Volkswagen and their agency of 30 years, Ogilvy Cape Town. The challenge is to live up to the excellence of the past executions for Golf – the “Rally” campaign, the GTI “Drum” ad and most recently the “Dreams” execution.

Golf is, and always has been, a driver’s car. Golf briefs have at their heart the task to communicate the thrilling experience of driving the ultimate driver’s car – and the ad has to do it in a fresh and exciting way. The latest ad does that in heaps, in a way that is typically, beautifully Volkswagen.

“Two things happened – first we wrote an incredible local human story, then, through a Cape Town based production company, Gatehouse, found a director who specialises in documentary, reality-style commercials,” says Ogilvy Cape Town Executive Creative Director, Chris Gotz.

That director was Henry-Alex Rubin, an Oscar-nominated documentary director now directing commercials.

“A Golf commercial has to capture the exhilarating feeling of driving. We wrote a story about an injured cheetah that relives and experiences the thrill of speed by driving in a Golf.”

“When we were looking at directors, Henry Rubin came into the mix at the last minute because another director pulled out. Before he even spoke to us and pitched, he flew up to Namibia, which has the world’s largest wild cheetah population. He wanted to find a real story. And he found it. He hooked up with a woman called Marlice van Vuuren who rehabilitates wild animals, including cheetahs at her game farm near Windhoek. She drove a three-legged cheetah that she was rehabilitating around in her bakkie. Henry suggested we do it for real. And that’s how it all came about. Instead of truth meeting fiction, this was fiction meeting truth,” says Gotz.

At heart, Rubin is a film and documentary maker. He works for international film, TV, commercial and music video production company Smuggler.

Marlice van Vuuren runs a wildlife sanctuary called N/a’ankuse, largely committed to relocating problem animals as an alternative to farmers shooting them. In cases of injured animals, she rehabilitates them and gives them a life on her farm. The female cheetah in question had lost her hind leg in a farmer’s gin trap. Since she would never return to the wild, Marlice committed herself to rehabilitating her as best she could.

“Her tenderness and care for the animals was inspiring to watch and she opened her arms to this project. Marlice uses many unconventional ideas to strengthen the cheetah’s remaining hind leg: throwing food, running with her dogs, playing with tennis balls and feather dusters, even using her son’s remote control car. Marlice named the cheetah Lucky because she was lucky to be alive. In a sense, we were lucky too, as I never expected to land upon such a beautiful true story that lined up with an agency’s dreamed-up idea,” says Rubin.

“Ogilvy Cape Town wrote a rare and inspired script. Its message of kindness and resilience resonates. It’s one of those, few-in-a-lifetime ideas that will grow wings and fly around the world. I truly wanted to help give it wings”, adds Rubin.

Ogilvy Cape Town Managing Director, Gavin Levinsohn says about Rubin; “He had this raw authenticity and he also presented the best treatment. It’s as simple as that. I also think it’s great that we got access to him. South African agencies are world-class; it’s now time we draw on the world.”

“Henry has captured a story that is pure Volkswagen. The incredible and moving bond that Marlice has with her animals will live through this commercial. We are so privileged to have been part of that,” concludes Gotz.

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Due to the credit crunch shoppers has changed their way of indulgement, they now only spend the amount of money they think the product is worth and and will not pay over the mark for it anymore. This opened a whole new gap for opportunity in the market, especially the creative industry.

Volkswagen together with Ogilvy

Interactive took this opportunity and launched a ‘ Recessionista‘  campaign for the Volkswagen Citi Golf. They play on the humour and seriousness of the credit crunch to increase sales of this affordable deal they are offering.

They claim that consumers shouldn’t let the recession get in the way of their style, they must become a recessionista and be cool despite the economy.  Drive a Volkswagen Citi Golf.

They take this further by adding an interactive section to the website where consumers can post their tips on how to beat the recession on the site and even add photo’s, videos of  links to it to make it more fun. They do this in a humorous manner to keep a smile on consumers faces while dealing with the credit crunch.

A couple of the recession tips on the site includes things such as : Make you own cologne from the flowers in your garden, or dont pay for weekly therapy sessions – tell your fiends. Shower together, Old telephone directories make ideal personal address books. Simply cross out the names and address of people you don’t know. Save money on expensive personalised car number plates by simply changing your name to match your existing plate -   Mr. CA 3001 273

Go check out this awesome campaign at : www.vw.co.za/recessionista and post your favourite tip to beat the recession, be part of the crowd crunching the credit crunch.

We couldn’t find any more of the creative work – it seems as if the campaign isn’t too popular online (there is only the single microsite). I’ve also seen some ads in magazines, but nothing else online. If you might have some copies of them lying around… send it in to us!

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