Strange Jetta radio ads
I heard a Volkswagen Jetta commercial the other day that caught my attention. It caught my attention for two reasons:
- It used the very catchy phrase “Pre-loved” Volkswagen to refer to their used car resales.
- It was really creepy if you actually thought about the meaning of the ad.
Maybe I’m still just thinking too much as I observe these commercials (see my previous thoughts on the “stays in Las Vegas” blackmail ad for another example). But it just seems like someone on the ad team wasn’t thinking when they put this ad together, as seemingly sincere as it was.
So the point of the ad is that you’ve traded in your Jetta, which you really liked cause – of course – it’s a great car. Standard stuff so far. Someone else bought your used… er, “pre-loved” Jetta and they love it too, of course. Here’s where it takes a turn. The new owner somehow figures out who the previous owner was (VIN number records lookup at the DMV, or maybe breaks into the dealership and raids their files) and then also finds the previous owner’s phone number… AND CALLS THE PREVIOUS OWNER. Ostensibly just to chat about how great the car is, ask if the previous owner wants to see the car, etc. Ewww!
So, a cute ad about how much the Jetta owners love their great cars becomes an ad about crazy new Jetta owners stalking the previous owners. Yes, if anything makes me want to buy a Jetta, it’s the implication that if I ever decide to trade it in, I will be stalked by a crazy person.
I noticed a few days later that the ad had changed its focus (or maybe it’s just another variation on the ad that I hadn’t previously heard): Now the ad context is that the original owner misses his car so much that he calls up the new owner to see how it’s working out, and ask to hang out, wash the car, etc.
That’s a little less creepy, I suppose… but just barely so.
