Titled “Arrival”, the 15” piece recalls the reaction of Americans when they saw a Beetle for the first time, in 1949.
Volkswagen arrived in the United States in 1949 with the import of two Beetles to New York. In 2024, the brand will celebrate its 75th anniversary in the United States and, to mark the date, it launched a teaser for a campaign that will be presented at the Super Bowl, which will take place on February 11th.
The 15” black and white video was titled Arrival and features some images of the streets of New York with photos of people’s reactions as the automaker’s car passes by.
Throughout the filming, a narrator explains that the Beetle arrived in America at a time when bigger meant better. People laughed at his ridiculous size and shape; they could barely sell them. But all that was about to change.
Over the past 75 years, Volkswagen has gone from a tale of two Beetles to a part of America’s cultural fabric. We carry people in our name and in our hearts. As we look forward to the next 75 years, we will celebrate the real people and life moments that made the Volkswagen brand the people’s love story that today, said Rachael Zaluzec, Volkswagen’s senior vice president of customer experience and brand marketing, USA.
The company is also planning moments throughout the rest of the year to highlight the contributions that people, products and places have made to the brand’s growth in America.