The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2011
VW's 'The Force' debuts its Super Bowl ad online first — a kid Vader starts the Passat
Deutsch LA released the 2012 Passat's Super Bowl spot on YouTube days before the game; the Darth Vader boy made it the buzz of Super Bowl XLV.
Volkswagen
What it had to solve
Volkswagen needed to relaunch the 2012 Passat in America during Super Bowl XLV, a day when 19 automotive advertisers competed for attention in the year's most expensive media slot. Deutsch LA had national airtime and wanted the spot to dominate before, during and after the game.
How it works
In February 2011 Volkswagen was launching the redesigned Passat in the US during Super Bowl XLV — a day when 19 automotive advertisers fought for attention in the year's most expensive media slot. Deutsch LA's task was to make the car stand out not just on game day but in the week around it.
The solution was 'The Force': a boy in a Darth Vader costume tries to move the washing machine, the family dog and a peanut butter sandwich with his mind, and finally aims his powers at the Passat in the driveway — which starts, because his father has quietly pressed the remote start in the kitchen. The joke was real product communication: remote start, demonstrated as a child's dream.
Volkswagen released the 60-second cut on YouTube on February 2, 2011, four days before the game, then aired the spot during the Super Bowl. By game weekend the online film had already drawn nearly 13 million views, making the brand's launch the subject of the pre-game conversation rather than a bystander to it.
Ace Metrix, which measures viewer reaction to national TV advertising, ranked 'The Force' the most effective automotive ad of Super Bowl XLV with a score of 603 — 10 percent above the average Super Bowl spot — and said it was a hit across all demographic groups. The ad became the reference point for the early-release Super Bowl strategy.
Why it lands
- The release was itself the idea: putting the film online before the paid airing made the launch newsworthy and earned coverage before the game.
- The product was the punchline — remote start is demonstrated by a child 'using the Force', so the joke and the feature were the same moment.
- It needed no explanation: a universally recognized pop-culture trope (Darth Vader) carried the story without dialogue.
- It worked across demographics: Ace Metrix found it scored well with all age and gender groups, a rare result in a category of male-skewing auto ads.
What it did
Released online days before the game, the film already had nearly 13 million YouTube views by Super Bowl weekend. Ace Metrix measured it the most effective automotive Super Bowl ad, scoring 603 — 10 percent above the average spot — and it started the now-standard practice of releasing Super Bowl ads early.
What you can take
Put the launch in the audience's hands: releasing the ad before the paid airing turned a media buy into earned media, and the product's real feature (remote start) gave the fantasy its payoff.
Since then
The Hollywood Reporter described the ad as the case in point for a new trend of advertisers releasing Super Bowl commercials early to build buzz — a practice that has since become standard Super Bowl strategy. For Volkswagen, the film did exactly what a launch needs: the car, the brand and the campaign were the talk of the week before the game even aired.
Sources
- Super Bowl Commercial Trend: Get Them Out Early
- Volkswagen's "The Force" Ad Is The Most Effective Automotive Super Bowl Ad
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