Laughter Ain't The Best Medicine in Volkswagen's Jetta Ad

Published in Adweek on Mar 4, 2013.

 

Last September, Volkswagen released a notable commercial from Deutsch that was all about the infectious power of laughter. That ad earned millions of views, and probably as many smiles. Now, though, the automaker and agency are backtracking a little. Not every laugh, it turns out, is quite so heartwarming.

VW and Deutsch have become quite accomplished together at capturing life's little moments. And this spot from Noam Murro—often this agency and client's go-to director—is no different. We won't spoil it by taking you through the plot. Check out the spot below.

The casting is great. The joke is kind of goofy but relatable—a sweet spot for VW in much of its advertising these days. And it leads perfectly into the pitch, which is that the clean-diesel Jetta TDI can go more than 600 agonizing miles without needing a fill-up.

This execution might not be quite as wonderful as last year's VW road-trip spot—in which two buddies learned Spanish in a similarly long-running Passat TDI—but it's close.

Being able to laugh at a laugh. That's the power of German engineering.