Volkswagen’s “Pink Moon” Ad 10 years later
June 27, 2009 • Ads Ads Ads, Celebration, Linked Goodness • Comments
For those unfamiliar with Volkswagen’s “Pink Moon” ad it goes like this: Four friends are riding in a Cabrio at night to a house party. There are lots of quick shots cutting to the moon and the four friends enjoying a night drive. The wind whips their hair about as they make off-screen stares into the light created by the headlights. Upon their eventual arrival at the party the four friends silently decide that the ride over was more fun than the party they are going to will be. The final scene shows the friends enjoying the expansion of their carbon footprint.
So what makes this ad so great? Unlike the newer VW ads that use shock value to grab the viewer’s attention it is the seamless use of music and visual imagery to tell the story. Nick Drake’s Pink Moon provides a haunting backdrop for the beautiful cinematography. There are no spoken lines by the actors in the entire commercial but we are fine with that. Like the iPod commercials it just isn’t necessary. We get it.
I get the sense that after this ad was shot and was being presented to Volkswagen there were more than a few tears shed. I keep hoping that VW will pick up this campaign at some point and create some more nocturnal wandering.
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