Created to promote the company’s original auto parts, Volkswagen’s ‘One Click’ campaign is a brilliant appropriation of YouTube.
The entire idea of the advertising focuses around the idea of originality. Noticing an insurmountable amount of YouTube spin-offs from original content, VW decided that they would intervene in a way that worked for them. The auto company placed ads on imitation clips, and clicking on those ads led viewers to the original copy of a YouTube video. For example, someone watching a terrible rendition of ‘Thriller’ would be directed to the original by Michael Jackson. Remarkably in touch with web trends and providing a welcomed service at once, this approach is outstandingly innovative.
Volkswagen, a company who has always held a solid cultural connection, has really hit it out of the park with this YouTube campaign.
Imitation-Busting Ads
Volkswagen’s ‘Original Click’ Campaign is Web-Savvy
Trend Themes
1. Authenticity Marketing - Marketing campaigns that emphasize authenticity and originality can resonate with consumers and challenge imitative practices.
2. Brand Appropriation - Appropriating popular online platforms to promote a brand or product can prove effective in reaching target audiences and providing a valuable service.
3. Intervention Advertising - Advertising campaigns that intervene in imitative practices can provide an opportunity for brands to disrupt the status quo and establish themselves as leaders in their industry.
Industry Implications
1. Automotive - Brands within the automotive industry can learn from Volkswagen's 'One Click' campaign by utilizing online platforms to promote original parts and services that challenge counterfeit practices.
2. Marketing and Advertising - Agencies within the marketing and advertising industry can use Volkswagen's campaign as a case study for innovative strategies that promote authenticity and disrupt imitative practices.
3. Technology - Technological advancements in social media and online advertising can provide opportunities for brands to create intervention advertising campaigns that challenge and disrupt imitative practices.