Volkswagen's Sponsorship Strategy: 'Punch Dub' Fails; Soccer Succeeds

A report from the IEG Sponsorship Conference. VW attempted to leverage the heritage of the Beetle brand with a star-studded commercial for the 2010 Super Bowl.

Volkswagen's Sponsorship Strategy: 'Punch Dub' Fails; Soccer Succeeds

Geoffrey Precourt Warc

Back in the days when the brand basked in glorious creative by Doyle Dane Bernbach, ownership of a Volkswagen of America product meant a great deal more than just climbing in a vehicle and driving from one place to the next.

Owners of the original Beetle, in particular, felt empowered by their car; they flashed headlines in a wink-wink greeting on public highways and back-country roads. They would travel hundreds of miles on a summer weekend to park in an open field just for the chance to bask...

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