Hispanics Wanted

CABLETELEVISION ADVERTISING BUREAU
830 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022 (212) 508-1200

Hispanics Wanted

Its Spanish language cable campaign was so successful that Volkswagen began airing it on general market programming as well.

Two young Latinos in a tricked-out pickup truck pull up next to a new Volkswagen Touareg SUV at a traffic light. They eye the driver, who is a bit older, but also Hispanic. Then they demonstrate what their "low rider" can do, gunning the engine so the rear of the truck rises hydraulically off the ground and rocks back and forth. Completing a ritual cultivated since the early 70's, the two kids look over again, as if to say, 'top that'.

Unimpressed, the older driver flicks a switch, activating the Touareg's four-corner adjustable air suspension, which elevates the vehicle to the highest of six adjustable ride heights. The motion is smooth and elegant. The VW driver pulls off, leaving the embarrassed low riders slinking down in their seats.

While the ad walks a fine line between celebrating and poking fun at low rider culture, its subtext-you don't have give up your street credibility to drive a Volkswagen-comes across loud and clear. It is part of an extremely successful initiative that has brought a whole new look to the Volkswagen brand in the Hispanic community in just over two years.

VW hired Coral Gables, Fla.-based ad agency creativeondemand in 2002 as its agency of record. From the beginning, the challenge wasn't to put its brand on the map among U.S. Hispanics. Volkswagen was already respected throughout Latin America and the Caribbean as a reliable, economic car. What the manufacturer wanted was to remake its image into something hip, cool and appealing to young, upwardly mobile Hispanics.

COD decided to play to the brand's strengths-looks, features and engineering-while also throwing in a little irreverence. The resulting campaign, which has used cable to drive its message home to key target audiences, has won much praise from the advertising community.

"We treat the Hispanic market with respect, but we also have a very broad sense of humor," says Daniel Marrero, partner for creativeondemand. "It's important not to take yourself too seriously. The Touareg driver could have been one of those low rider guys five years ago. He's grown up a little bit but he still has a cool car."

When COD first landed the account, despite having no automotive experience, its first order of business was to devise an in-language tagline that captured the emotion, excitement and sense of uniqueness of Volkswagen's general market campaign. The agency clearly had something to work with going in, but found that can be as much of a hindrance as it is a help. A Spanish version of Arnold Worldwide's famous "Driver's Wanted" slogan, the most recognized automotive tagline in North America, had already been tried, but the message had been painfully lost in translation.

"People thought they were want ads for chauffeurs," recalls Marrero. After considering 100 different variations, COD decided "Agarra calle" fit the bill perfectly. It's a slang expression that can be loosely translated as "let's hit the road," or something "up and coming," as in a band that's beginning to get popular. It captures the exclusivity of the English tagline, resonates with the targeted demographic and expands the scope of the brand association.

"Even though it's not a strict translation, it still fits under the mindset umbrella of the original," says Marrero. "It's not a typical position line. It carries a lot of layers and can be interpreted in many different ways."

"Agarra calle" became the centerpiece for the whole initiative, which began with commercials for the New Beetle airing during coverage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the Superbowl for Hispanic fans, on Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision.

Commercials for the Passat, Jetta, New Beetle Convertible and Touareg targeted young men and women, reaching out to them on "The Roof," "Fuzion" and "Off the Roof" on Mun2. To target Hispanic males, COD bought time on "Contacto Deportivo" on Telefutura and "SportsCenter" and Mexican soccer coverage on ESPN Deportes.

Although the campaign also included print, radio, collateral and promotions, VW's cable buys turned out to be critical in making a mark within the community, particularly among young male Hispanics.

"Cable was best in reaching the audience we wanted to target,' says John Gasloli, brand marketing manager and head of multicultural marketing for Volkswagen. "After only being in the marketplace for two years, our slogan recall was very strong-as strong as those of major domestics that have been spending much more for a lot longer."

When VW commissioned its first tracking study last year, it saw better than expected results. The ads were reaching their intended target and Hispanics were reporting a lift in model recall, ad awareness and brand awareness above what the general market was having.

The commercials were seen as believable, informative and entertaining, and they were also proving to have an unexpected appeal to the non-Spanish speaking general marketplace.

"We were seeing the incremental strength of our Hispanic efforts and definitely experiencing some spillover into the general market," says Gasloli.

Emboldened, VW took the campaign into uncharted territory last October. In heavily Hispanic markets like Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Dallas and San Antonio, the company opted to run "High Rider" and one more of the Spanish-language spots on general market networks. VW chose primetime shows that index high with Hispanic viewers, dedicating an average 10 percent of its spot TV budget to the Spanish language ads, and even more in markets with the highest concentration of Hispanics.

According to Marrero, the commercials worked in general market primetime because of their strong visual storytelling components and the fact that many VW drivers are generally very open minded. Even viewers that couldn't understand the Spanish appreciated their authenticity.

Volkswagen's Hispanic campaign used spots on Galavision, mun2 and ESPN Deportes to reach men and young adults

"No one had ever done this before," says Marrero. "Volkswagen had the irreverence and the attitude to do it. We've had a great response from the marketplace because of it."

"Cable was best in reaching the audience we wanted to target."

— John Gasloli, brand marketing manager and head of multicultural marketing, Volkswagen

# # #