Crispin Porter+Bogusky (CP+B), Miami, takes a sobering detour from its manic Fast character and offbeat hip German engineering campaigns for the Volkswagen GTI with this two-spot package that promotes the safety of VW’s Jetta.
In “Movie,” two couples are in a car; they’re talking about the film they just saw that evening at a theater. In tongue-in-cheek fashion, the women are taking the men to task, claiming that the guys shed a tear or two during emotional scenes in the flick. The males feign ignorance at first; then the driver starts to defend himself. Much of the animated conversation is taking place with the car at a standstill. We then see the traffic light turn to green, and the automobile starts to advance through the intersection.
At that moment, we see an SUV fast approaching the driver’s side of the car. In the blink of an eye, the SUV broadsides the automobile. The impact is jarring as side air bags deploy.
Next, the two couples are standing on the street, looking at the smashed yet still amazingly intact VW. More importantly, the driver and three passengers, while shaken, appear fine. A female passenger says, “Holy sh..” But before she can complete her sentence, an end tag appears that simply reads, “Safe happens,” with the advisory that the Jetta has a four-star side impact crash rating.
The other spot in the campaign, “Like,” centers on a similar scenario with two men talking as their Jetta motors down a street. One man teases the other about constantly inserting the word “like” in his verbal statements. Out of nowhere a pickup truck pulls out of a driveway in front of the car, and the vehicles collide. Both Jetta front airbags are activated. Again, the car’s occupants are okay. Indeed “Safe happens.”
Both commercials were directed by Phil Morrison of bicoastal Epoch Films. Doug Halbert executive produced for Epoch, with Anita Wetterstedt serving as producer. The DP was Ed Lachman.
The CP+B creative team included creative directors Alex Bogusky, Andrew Keller and Rob Strasberg, copywriter Tim Roper, art director Dave Clemens, executive producer Rupert Samuel and producer Leticia Jacobs.
Editor was Gavin Cutler of Mackenzie Cutler, New York. Flame artist/compositor was Chris Redding of Framestore CFC, New York. Audio post engineer was Philip Loeb of Sound Lounge, New York.
