The actor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi is considered a favorite among Star Wars fans.
(Photo: Disney, Volkswagen)
Wolfsburg Volkswagen is trying to sell its electric ID.Buzz with new advertising and marketing formats. In the coming weeks, characters from the Star Wars universe will be promoting the new electric bus. Volkswagen is cooperating with the American Disney group, which holds the rights to Star Wars.
Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO are supposed to make the ID.Buzz popular together – in commercials, social networks and on billboards. With the campaign, VW primarily wants to convince customers in the USA and Germany.
The carmaker relies on the high level of awareness of Star Wars. Klaus Zellmer, Sales Director of the Volkswagen brand, told Handelsblatt: “To stand out, you need real eye-catchers. That’s how advertising has to work: With Star Wars, we’re adding more appeal to our brand.”
The campaign begins at the same time as the electric bus goes on sale. The ID.Buzz can now be ordered in most European countries, with deliveries starting in autumn. In Germany, the basic version without a state subsidy costs around 65,000 euros. In the US, sales won’t start until the year after next.
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“There are very few partners who have such a strong communicative effect,” added Sales Director Zellmer. In the first commercial, which appeared on YouTube on Friday afternoon, actor Ewan McGregor gets into an ID.Buzz and drives off the premises of the film set. In the Star Wars universe, McGregor plays Obi-Wan Kenobi.
And that is the second reason for the joint advertising campaign by Volkswagen and Disney: the start of the new Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi. It will be broadcast on the Disney Plus streaming channel from May 27th.
Cooperation with Star Wars stands for change in the advertising world
Volkswagen and Disney do not provide any information on the financial conditions that the groups have agreed on for the cooperation. In any case, Ewan McGregor becomes a VW brand ambassador and takes part in additional advertising campaigns for Volkswagen.
In addition to the start of series production, the designers from Volkswagen and Disney have jointly designed two special models of the ID.Buzz with Star Wars motifs. These will later be auctioned off for a good cause. The cars are expected to be unveiled at one of the world’s largest Star Wars events in Anaheim, California, next week.
For VW Sales Director Klaus Zellmer, the joint campaign with Star Wars stands for a change in the advertising world. Traditional forms of advertising are losing importance, says Zellmer. It is becoming more important for companies to emotionalize advertising messages. This can be seen from the example of ID.Buzz and Star Wars. In the future, Volkswagen wants to implement more activities of this type: “Such partnerships are very important. There could be more of that,” said Zellmer.
Auto shows are losing importance for VW
The second important advertising platform for the automaker is football. For example, Volkswagen cooperates with the European football association Uefa. The Wolfsburg team not only works with national football associations in Germany, but also in France and the USA.
>>> Read here: How Volkswagen is digitally upgrading its new electric models
At the weekend, another important sporting event for VW as a sponsor is the DFB Cup final in Berlin. At the group’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, the group supports the local Bundesliga club VfL with an amount in the high double-digit millions every year.
Classic advertising platforms count less for the automotive industry. The auto shows are among the biggest losers. Well-known events are being deleted from the trade fair calendar more and more frequently. The IAA, which has since moved from Frankfurt to Munich, is also fighting for its economic future. The corona pandemic has further exacerbated the problems facing trade fairs over the past two years.
Volkswagen starts selling the ID.Buzz initially in Germany and Europe. VW will offer the minibus as a car and as a commercial vehicle, for example for craftsmen. The automaker expects that, in the long term, the commercial vehicle version will outsell the passenger car version.
The VW Group is not only hoping for sales success with the electric bus in Europe, but also in the USA. In the United States, Volkswagen made a name for itself with its “Bulli” in the 1970s and 1980s in particular. Now VW is aiming to build on the sales successes of the past with the first all-electric minibus.
More: The ID.Buzz will be a figurehead for Volkswagen in the new year