44 Comments

His other ads really work with the brand. This loses the humour and everyman nature the VW ads normally capture - beautifully shot, but sort of misses the point really.
Des Bateman
2010-11-11 11:40:57

Agree with comment above, lovely shots but felt the Polo was out of place and was left disappointed. Dont think it worked as a Polo ad.
Ocube
2010-11-11 11:52:09

have to disagree with the above comments. saw this last night watching the telly and my boyfriend and I just turned and stared at each other after it finished. it completely changes my opinion of the VW Polo. I could and I have watched it again and again and again. Its genuinely brilliant and I get goosebumps every time. Its good to see our industry can still create original, thought provoking, edgy work. Genius.
Jo Hobday
2010-11-11 12:44:14

I don't get it.

Reminds of the muller stuff 'Mix it Up' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw2B0k-15UY

At least that was funny...ish
DICKHEAD
2010-11-11 12:59:33

leaves me a bit cold and although the shots are nice the grade is pretty horrid.
mark
2010-11-11 14:19:08

Its pretty boring. The music and the dancing just don't gel together nicely.
Which i think is the idea behind the vechicle.

It should have been more extreme.
simon newman
2010-11-11 16:29:02

the TV is full of the most boring anodyne repetitive ads, ideas stolen from clips on youtube and the same 24 xmas ads with different corporate logos at the end. Then this comes on. Its like a slap in the face and just wonderful to watch.
Ben Furness
2010-11-11 17:03:25

Seen better right here in UK
http://vimeo.com/1746250
James Newton
2010-11-11 19:56:53

Nice bum
Mcgintysgoat
2010-11-12 06:25:55

Is it beautiful – yes

Do I appreciate it – yes

Is it a powerful film – yes

Is the link to the car tenuous at best – yes

Would you watch ads if you didn’t have to – No
Creative Rebuke
2010-11-12 11:57:23

I'd have much rather seen Ann Widdecombe attempting the dance and somehow the strapline would have been more appropriate.
James Warfield
2010-11-12 12:46:54

God I can't stop watching this. Wasn't sure at first but it just grows and grows. Its brilliant. Tango to hip hop. Tough beautiful..genius Right i'm off to watch it again
t Jessop
2010-11-12 12:48:14

Cringe.
Matthew Ingram
2010-11-12 12:49:07

Dancing always evokes passion for people so why does the car just appear at the end stuck on like an afterthought?

It feels unfinished to me. maybe if the dancers jumped into the car at the end that would work better?

The dancers are amazing but that's what they do it doesn't fit together properly for me.
ellie
2010-11-12 12:54:44

This caught my attention at the gym this morning, without the sound on. I watched it to the end. No other ad recently has made me do that.

I don't understand why people 'don't get it'. Polo's tagline is "Tough. Beautiful". The dance is beautiful and the people look 'tough'. I don't think there is any deep meaning. I also don't think they don't have to be 'connected' either. If you compare the weather to 'freezing' you don't need to then show someone a picture of a freezer. They aren't connected, it's a comparison. I personally think them getting in the car at the end, or showing the car is in the same room would be too obvious and possibly a bit cheesy.

Would it have possibly worked better not to show the car at all? Just the tagline in the VW font. Much like the old Silk Cut ads. Or more recently Cadbury's. Risky, but might have been cocky enough to make this a little more special? Maybe that was the original idea and the client wouldn't go with it, so we get the reluctant image at the end?
Jem
2010-11-12 13:17:24

Great dancing. Why does it cut to a still of some car at the end?
Ouzoboy
2010-11-12 13:20:39

Beautiful film, I really love it, however my inner pedant would like to say a few words:

I find the music doesn't quite fit; perhaps that's because it's not what you'd normally expect to see tango set to, however I do find it a bit at odds with the movements of the dancers, which whilst 'tough' are still smooth and flowing.

The final still of the polo does seem like it was an after-thought; that's probably because it's been shot in a completely different fashion to the rest of the advert. I agree it would have been horrendously cheesy to have the dancers swoop into the car at the last minute, however, it might have fit better if the lighting and setting were a bit more consistent between the film and the image of the car.

But overall, this is a really lovely piece of filming, I could have even watched a much longer version.
Sam
2010-11-12 13:38:19

Compared to the new Skoda advert - this one just fails ! . . . . miserably !
Do you remember the Skoda name ? - Probably

Do you remember the brand of little car stuck on the back end of this track ? - or even the existance of a car ? Unlikley.
Philip Curnow
2010-11-12 13:45:00

Great dancing. Why does it cut to a still of some car at the end?
Ouzoboy
2010-11-12 13:45:53

Agree with lots of comments above, especially Jern. If they had just shown the tagline and no car at the end this ad could have been much more powerful.

The main issue is that a VW Polo doesn't really live up to the tagline, so when we're reminded of the Golf's poor relation at the end, the whole thing loses it's appeal. My first reaction was disappointment at the car at the end - not what VW want to achieve I am sure.
Jess
2010-11-12 14:07:05

Yes, Jonathan Glazer is a good director. This is a REALLY, REALLY poor idea though. What's happening over a DDB? How did this get through? There wasn't any better ideas than this? Did Glazer make the film before the ad was written? Lots of questions. Ohhh, it's for a Volkswagen? Which one?
Devilgate
2010-11-12 14:59:57

Strange car advert. Not sure how successful it will be selling cars, it will probably get a lot more people dancing though.
web
2010-11-12 16:08:00

Naaaah. Doesn't work. If they'd used something like Great Little Mover at the end, it could have worked and would have reinforced the cheeliness of the brand. As my eleven year old says... epic fail. Don't get me wrong. it's good to look at but will it persuade someone to buy? Nope.
Mark J Roberts
2010-11-12 19:17:35

always been a big fan of Glazer's work... he is a genius... but it doesn't really fit with the notion of selling cars... It does have the feel of being "in the can" and bolted on to the campaign as an afterthought...
GEORGE VRANJKOVIC
2010-11-12 19:36:26

An ad anybody could have shot.

I have always admired Jonathan Glazer's work and got a lot of inspiration from it. It used to be really emotional work, whatever he shot. This is not. I guess, actually I know, that once you start to do real story-telling (feature films) conventional commercial work loses (even more as of late) its appeal. Thus, as a director, you provide every bit of professional expertise, but leave your art at home.
Jonathan Glazer's work is a milestone and still commands awe, but this VW Polo TVC should be left out of his reel.
Stefano Moro
2010-11-13 10:10:19

The idea is lacking a strong connection to what it is trying to represent, tho visually speaking it is really interesting. The choreography and direction during the dance sequence was confident and worked to capture a well deserved attention and an interest in what it is advertising. Tho when I was presented with the car I was shocked. Never would I have expected it, and yes I suppose I will remember it for this juxtaposition it lacked strength. Tho that is half the work as I didn't relate the message of movement and emotion that the dancers gave to what the car itself would. An interesting advert tho in my opinion not strong enough to represent the subject.
Will Hemming
2010-11-13 19:33:54

I didn't really like it at all, if they were going to use the hip-hop with the tango, I think they could have made it so much more cool! and it doesn't sell the polo to me.
Ben Champion Stevenson
2010-11-14 13:58:03

Genius. Hadn't read about this before I saw it on TV the other day - couldn't take my eyes off it and immediately wanted to watch again. Great embodiment of the end line, beautifully shot.
Cat
2010-11-14 19:14:04

Hmmm. I agree that this is a nice bit of film but the car/line is just crudely shoehorned on at the end. Which is too easy and therefore not a good ad in my opinion.
The new Skoda ad is way better - a stretegy rooted in the product AND an execution rooted in the product. That's what makes a brilliant bit of advertising. Not amazing idea X plus product bunged on at the end as an afterthought.
ADGUY
2010-11-15 02:29:59

Nice mantyhose.
Hard Candy
2010-11-15 11:16:52

this IS an extraordinary ad. Fresh, vital, punchy, sexy...this is how you sell a car. The message is brutally simple and elegant. This really moves the game on and makes me proud to be a creative. I watched my mum immediately rewind during x-factor to watch it again. It's exciting to know that clients still buy work like this.Probably the best ad I've seen since Gorilla. 10 out of 10.
vickie
2010-11-15 13:39:43

"I can't help wondering whether the VW Polo would be the car of choice of each of the two dancers in the film..."
Go buy the Polo and see for yourself..? :]

It's an ad. A promise. And I think it's great.
AL
2010-11-15 20:29:31

this seriously sucks balls.

to Latins, these guys look Puerto Rican the way they're dressed, dancing an Argentinian dance.

But to non-Latin audiences this might not really matter. it's just a nice bit of racial stereotyping.

it's the usual DDB style of pretending it isn't an ad, then putting the product in brackets at the end. do they ever do ones that aren't like this?

if it wasn't for Mr Glazer, I doubt anyone would be talking about it. Because the film also sucks balls quite a lot.
Fernando
2010-11-16 10:50:43

It beggars belief that anyone here can find this commercial anything but brilliant.



After watching the ad I was gobsmacked to read some peoples opinion of it



I suspect it's because they struggle to get their heads around anything new or different, which, if they consider themselves creative, is terrible.



Everyone I know just loves this and I hope it gets the rewards it deserves, for the VW and the Agency.



Many congratulations to all involved. I'm completely jealous.
Johnnie
2010-11-16 15:22:00

Have you noticed the numbers of comments on this blog. As far as I can see it has been enormously successful. when was the last time you purposely re-watched or commented on an ADVERT !
I think the point is, and I might be wrong, its an advert that doesn't ram the product down your throat, repeatedly stating the name of the product at deafening volume.
I can stand at the end of my road and watch cars zoom around if I wanted to. I don't need to see it on the TV. I think I'd rather watch these dancers, and I'm grateful to VW for commisioning them to do what they do so well and for entertaining me for three minutes
Haydunn
2010-11-16 17:03:27

I love it - I just think it's the best ad I've seen in ages and I'm totally bemused by how many negative comments there are on here. I mean, I know this is the internet but still, it's like reading Alan Sugar's guide to advertising.
Beautifully shot, so much attitude, really grabbed my attention. It certainly does jar at the end with that blood red background - really clever.
Nicholas Maroussas
2010-11-17 00:17:23

It's a brilliant ad. No forget that, it's an astonishing ad. When I played it in our studio I had an instant crowd around my desk and we all watched it about a half a dozen times, noticing more and more extraordinary choreography. After reading the above comments Its quite obvious that this bold fresh approach just sits a little uncomfortably with some. But to say it doesn't fit with the message and car is just strange. We LOVE IT.
Rennie
2010-11-17 11:11:00

Its ok. its not 'brilliant' its not 'astonishing'. its ok. A lot of the 'fuck me this is the best ad ever' comments I think are either from people at DDB, from Glazer's company, VW, or all three. The rest of the comments I agree with much more. Its a nice bit of film with a car lobbed on at the end as an afterthought. Execution is just a metaphor for an endline and the car itself comes last. Agree new Skoda ad is far far better.
Ben
2010-11-18 15:57:45

VERY SENSATIONAL! Definitely arresting by way of unconventionality with very powerful hip hop soundtrack that makes one's body and soul shake!! I must admit the advert bears no relation to cars or driving but is a success in that you want to know what it is about; VW Golf. Wow!!
Richard Mwangi
2010-11-19 11:52:00

ugh, I hate that Skoda commercial. Its so naff just reheating an old idea. The worst bit is where the car lunges forward like its a 'beast' - jesus. This VW commercial lives on a different planet and dares to be different. I really love the way they put tango to hip hop. Something i've never seen before. Excellent stuff
Ted
2010-11-19 15:36:00

I think the girl is full of cellulitis and the music does not go with the dance.
Eva
2010-11-19 21:43:49

when i'm fast forwarding through the ad break, i stop every time i see this one and i watch it. every time.
i don't work in advertising, i'm not a dancer and i'm not overly into hip-hop. there's just something compelling about this ad.
paul
2010-11-28 20:00:56

This is one of the best adverts on TV today, yes, it's different, its imaginative, innovative and sexy -- Most car adverts are boring, especially for women, this one is hot, hot, hot, well done VW !!!
Kala
2010-11-28 23:24:28

This is a captivating piece of content that I keep wanting to watch over again. The juxtaposition of the soundtrack and Tango choreography is inspired. It's beautifully shot and paced. It also happens to be a car ad.



OK, the packshot at the end is a kick in the face, but that's far better than seeing the product more integrated. This is a metaphor, not narrative. Of course the heroes of the ad don't drive a Polo. They probably drive something like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/marrows/15050965/in/set-363400/. Who cares.



It would have been less painful not to see the car at all, just fade in the line and logo against black. We all know what a Polo is. But I'll happily take the kick in the face if it means I get to watch this again.
Tom Marrows
2010-12-02 17:58:00

Tell us what you think

Your comment: What happens with my feedback?

What happens with my feedback?

We no longer require you to register and have a password in order to comment, simply fill in the form below. All comments are moderated so you may experience a short delay before your comment appears. CR encourages comments to be short and to the point. As a general rule, they should not run longer than the original post. Comments should show a courteous regard for the presence of other voices in the discussion. We reserve the right to edit or delete comments that do not adhere to this standard.

Name: (required)

Title:

e-Mail: (required)

URL