Justin Byrd
Branding
Professor Wintrob
September 8, 2013

The New Beetle 1. Why was the Drivers Wanted campaign successful? Why is this important relative to the New Beetle campaign?
Every great campaign is powered by a great idea, strong motives, and a confidence that tells everyone in your organization, “Don’t worry, we got this”. Volkswagen delivered this with the Drivers Wanted campaign that helped the company step into the forefront. The hiring of Arnold Communications became an important factor in creating this great campaign. Arnold Communications preached that Volkswagen cars needed to be approachable, affordable, and more connected to the world and more importantly the driver. They wanted the “Drivers Wanted” campaign to make the Volkswagen brand more appealing to its consumers. This action really became a very important turning point for Volkswagen. Arnold Communications made strong analysis of the demographics and in doing so they were able to discover what made the Volkswagen’s customers different from your traditional car consumers. They also thought about what they wanted Volkswagen to represent, meaning what type of campaign will tell everyone “this is who we are, this is what we are not, and this is why we are better than the rest.” These potential consumers wanted to have better driving experience rather than just use the car as a way of transportation. They wanted the car to be a way of life so Arnold Communications took advantages of how people both “thought” and “felt”. “Drivers Wanted” made the Volkswagen’s brand image clearer and more attractive to the consumers by offering German engineering at the price people wanted and made the driving experience unique to these consumers. It is important relative to the new beetle campaign because this campaign put Volkswagen back in people’s minds in terms of what car I should buy when car shopping. This campaign helped create awareness to Volkswagen, built customer loyalty, and helped improve sales. These three major factors are always important to any future products or campaigns that will be ran. Without these key factors the New Beetle campaign could not have prospered as much as it did. The Drivers Wanted campaign reenergized the company, excited consumers, and established a new found trust with their consumers. 1. If you were in Liz's position, would you position the car to target Baby Boomers, 18-34 year-olds, or another group? Explain your thinking and why it would give the product the best chance to succeed?
If I were in Liz’s position, I would position the car to the 18-34 year-old target market. I believe this is the best target market because the trendiness of the car will appeal to this age group and it can still hold the “indulgence of nostalgia” to a certain degree for this particular target market. For the younger people in this age group, there is a strong chance that parents would be assisting them with the decision and purchase of a new vehicle. So when presented with the Beetle as one of their child’s options, they would be more prone to encourage the purchase of the new Beetle because of this sense of nostalgia as well. The drivability, fuel efficiency, and safety of the vehicle are also great selling points to all generations. You can also market the size of the car to the younger age group more easily they are more likely to be single or just a couple and not have to worry about having more room for children. I think this gives the product the best chance to succeed.