The new Amarok V6 Ultimate 580 is ‘too powerful for TV’ in new campaign via VW and DDB Sydney
What if you had the ability to create the most powerful ute ad ever seen, but weren’t allowed to show it? That’s the idea behind Volkswagen’s new campaign for the Amarok V6, the most powerful ute in its class, via DDB Sydney.
‘Too Powerful for TV’, the latest instalment in the Amarok series, tells the story of the most epic ute ad never quite made – complete with a British prima donna director, austere safety officer, and a raft of clever ways to showcase what Aussie car manufacturers have struggled to for years.
Says Nick Reid, commercial vehicles national marketing manager, Volkswagen: “With 580Nm of torque, and 200kW on Overboost, the new Amarok V6 Ultimate 580 is the most powerful ute in its class – a product benefit most marketers dream of. The problem we’ve got is actually demonstrating that power.
“So, the idea behind our new campaign is to show it, without breaking a single advertising code of conduct. We’re getting the punter onside with us, taking them on a journey and giving them what we all want to see – a powerful ute doing powerful stuff, in an entertaining way.”
DDB Sydney creative partner Vincent Osmond said this new campaign builds on the previous award-winning Amarok campaigns from DDB Sydney, The Naked Ute and Korama, which were also all about leaning into the problem.
Says Osmond: “We had to demonstrate the power of the most powerful ute in its class. But we can’t really show its potential. So, we did what we’ve always done with Amarok; found a way around the problem. What we’ve created is a self-aware, tongue in cheek look behind the scenes at the ute ad we’d all make if we could – or perhaps more poignantly, were allowed to.”
Says Jade Manning, creative partner, DDB Sydney: “We needed to punch above our weight in a big way with this new Amarok campaign. We don’t have the media to engage in a war of attrition with our competitors, so we need to deliver big, fame-driving creative – work that is going to stand out in this world of ‘ute-vertising’.
“For me, the real fun is the things we couldn’t show. Every time the ute engages in activity that would otherwise be deemed ‘reckless’, a technique is employed to show us, but at the same time not show us, what it did. It’s almost more entertaining not seeing it.”
Says Reid: “For ute owners, yes it’s about power credentials, but they also want to know what their ute is actually capable of. That’s the challenge. So, when DDB came to us with this idea about the Amarok being too powerful to advertise we said, ‘this is fantastic’, but even if we can’t show it for real we have to do it for real, because the Amarok can. So, we did. Everything you see the Amarok doing in the commercial it did for real. Sort of.”
The campaign, supported by digital and social, launches with a series of teaser films and is followed by a 60-second broadcast spot during Australian motorsport’s day-of-days, Bathurst.
DDB SYDNEY:
Chief Creative Officer: Ben Welsh
Executive Creative Director: Tara Ford
Creative Partner: Jade Manning
Creative Partner: Vincent Osmond
Senior Creative: Tim Woolford
Senior Creative: Tommy Cehak
Managing Partner: Nick Russo
Senior Business Director: Astrid Noble
Business Manager: Luke Thistleton
Digital Business Manager: Christelle Quillien
Planning Partner: Graham Sweet
Head of Integrated Content: Sevda Cemo
Lead Senior Producer: Tania Jeram
Senior Digital Art Director: Berengere Sottas
Senior Designer: Paul Jansen
VOLKSWAGEN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES:
National Marketing Manager: Nick Reid
Product Marketing Manager: James Thompson
Retail and Digital Communications Manager: Nathan Johnson
Production Company: Goodoil Films
Director: Adam Stevens
Executive Producer: Sam Long
Producer: Catherine Warner
DOP: Daniel Ardilley
Editor: Mark Burnett from The Editors, Sydney
Assistant Editor: Grace Eyre from The Editors, Sydney
Grade: Ben Eagleton from BE
Online/VFX: NigelMortimer,StefanCoory
Post Production: Blockhead VFX, Sydney
Sound Engineer: Anthony Aston, Rumble Studios
Music: Johnny Green, Rumble Studios
Media agency: PHD Sydney
35 Comments
Congratulations to all involved.
Naked Ute was great, but dare I say it, this is better.
Nice work! Good on you Tommy et al
A rare anomaly. Fabulous work. Congrats to DDB.
Well played, Tommy,
Shitload of fun. Onya Tommy C.
This is heavy-handed tripe. Naval gazing, poorly cast and badly executed. Don’t go giving yourselves a big slap on the back. This is sub-standard work.
I relay like the creative idea: Too Powerful for TV, but the execution doesn’t live up to it, let down by an cliched director stereotype, interspersed with shots of the car doing the things that you’re not allowed to show.
Off-brand.
Most powerful ute ad?
Any commo smokes this thing.
Ignore the haters. This is refreshing, not only for the category, but for Australian advertising in general. Well done to all involved.
Finally got this idea off the ground, hey?
Love it. So so much. Well done guys 🙂
Gawjuss
Love it.
Good for Auto ads
Great for the industry.
@AnotherComment
And how is it anymore off brand than VW doing a ute in the first place?
ITS COMM BANK/GOODBY DETERMINED TO BE DIFFERENT ALL OVER AGAIN – EVEN SAME CAST
This sh*ts all over the Raptor spot that dropped yesterday. Nice work. Amarok leading by example… as usual.
I like it. Such a refreshing take on the usual car advertising. It’s clever and fun and a little tongue in cheek. Very entertaining. Good job DDB.
This is how you do a Ute ad.
Bloody bloody cool.
This is ace. What a great way to sidestep CAD. Great work that will sell and win a truck load of awards. Will the Amarok be powerful enough to haul them all?
Is it meant to look bad? Is that the gag? Awful
I don’t get it.
Navel gazing at its worst.
Comm Bank…..
Tries to get around the regulations about showing speed (which is clever), but stumbles a bit in execution (which is not).
Compare with current Camry ‘Dogs’ ad.
Audi did this for the R8, only clever. Is the cliché Director the best you could do?
Fantastic article, congratulations to the amazing DDB Sydney team on an outstanding campaign! Epic!
Reminiscent of the Newcastle Beer Super Bowl ad from a couple years ago. But good on them for doing something different in the category.
Commo is not a 4×4 ute.
Amarok is.
Nice work manbun, you did good.
Poor effort all-round.
1. Inside joke.
2. Derivative (Newcastle Brown Ale/ Commbank/Johnsonville)
3. Cringeworthy casting
@nodamuss article doesn’t say fourby ute.
Commo is a ute and the base model 3.0l demolishes these performance utes. What’s up with new car claims all marketing shit that has been bettered long before.
4×4 truck is more versatile than aussie built ute but much less performance across the board so dont call it a performance ute.
Brand new cars are one of the worst financial decisions you can make in life.
You’re on the wrong blog, mate.
COPY OF DROGA5 NEW CASTLE BROWN IDEA
Work seems to have become a lot better lately.
I laughed. Keep killing it Tars & Tim!