Volkswagen up!

Here is an outdoor ad for Volkswagen in France:

The billboard reads:

"It's great to be small"

An unexpected beetle

Here is an augmented reality app in Canada for Volkswagen:

Passersby can download the associated app and scan Volkswagen billboards to see the animated "Juiced Up" version of the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle. 

Off-road roller coaster

Here is a print ad from Ukraine for Volkswagen:

Life in the express lane

Here is a commercial for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat:

This spot reminds me of the intro in the Simpsons when it looks like Maggie is driving.  There are a lot of potential dangers while "driving" in the supermarket. 

Edible ad

Here's another print ad for Volkswagen that features a road.  But this one is from South Africa and -- yes this print ad is edible. 

To demonstrate the Volkswagen's "road eating" capabilities, why not have people literally eat the Volkswagen ad?  This insert was made out of glutinous rice flour.

Another one for Volkswagen... a winter-y one.

So this for Volkswagen in Sweden...

The sales offer would last as long as the ice lasted.  And to make it more fun, a contest was created to guess when the snow would melt... and the winner will receive a VIP racing day.  I'm assuming they must keep the sides of the highway this billboard fairly ... manicured... since people are spending money to have billboards displayed.  But imagine, with all the kooky weather we've been having all over the world, if the "sales offer" was adjusted to how deep the snow got.  That would be a real "winter adjusted offer" but also simultaneously sucky because that means you are living in 10 feet of snow.

Test drive a print ad

First off, I really like the concept of this print ad for Volkswagen from Norway.  Really I do.  It's hard to find really good interactive print ads.  

But I think what troubles me about this print ad is when you remove one element out of the equation.  If a reader sees only the print ad that's basically a picture of a road in a magazine [and they never show the copy in this little video.  Maybe because it's all in Norwegian and I wouldn't understand anyway] is the copy compelling enough for you want to take your phone out and actually take the five minutes to download the app?  And vice versa, if you're browsing the iTunes store and you see a "driving Volkswagen car game app," and download it ... what do you do if you don't have that particular print ad?       

So essentially what was designed was an iPhone app, and there happens to be an associated print ad also.  While I do like this idea, the print ad doesn't have to be present to operate the app and I think that's what I find bothersome about the video's description of "innovative print ad"... because the print ad in itself is ancillary and not necessary to the experience.