Decks appeal

Volkswagen’s time machine

What?: Volkswagen is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the car brand in the Netherlands by flagging up the product’s heritage on a new interactive website. The Dutch site operates like a basic music quiz, asking you to name the decade a song is from by matching it to a VW vehicle of the same period. Were the Black Eyed Peas big in the 1950s? Did Elvis drive a VW golf? Could Meat Loaf fit in a Beetle?

Match all the songs at the VW ‘Drive In’ site and you could win a selection of Apple iPod products, including the new iPod Touch. If you get a selection right, the relative car will also play part of the tune on its horn, Herbie-style.

So what?: VW invites you into its online musical Tardis as the company plays its retrospective card. Casting aside the dubious question of whether these tracks are licensed for a moment (‘Ticket To Ride’ for example), just what does this campaign say about the brand? The Beetle and the VW van may be iconic but the ghastly multi-coloured harlequin VW golf?! Sometimes some historical artifacts should remain buried.

“It’s great to see a car manufacturer with such strong heritage recognising the power of music to evoke our history with the brand. This reminds lapsed customers of the good times and invites potential new ones to take part in the cultural story of the ‘people’s car”
James Poletti, Editorial & Content Manager, FRUKT

www.volkswagendrivein.nl