DDB Sydney & VW: The road fear horror movie

DDB Sydney and Volkswagen have created a horror movie – thirty seconds of road fear to draw attention to the new 2021 Tiguan with intelligence driver system, I.Q. DRIVE.

The film and accompanying series of horror film posters highlight the anxieties 79% of drivers have on the road (according to research) – such as parallel parking, giant roundabouts, and merging onto a four-lane highway. 59% of drivers fearing parallel parking, embarrassed about holding up traffic or worried they’ll hit another car while trying to park.

DDB Sydney creative directors, Tim Woolford and Tommy Cehak, commented,“We’re not scared of driving. Although parallel parking makes us anxious. Actually, merging is nerve-racking… and we suppose people are pretty distracted by their phones these days, so that’s a worry…”

The posters were created with prominent Canadian movie poster artist, Matt Ryan Tobin, who has worked with Disney, Marvel, 20^th Television (formerly known as 20^th Century Fox), and Warner Brothers.

The film, directed by Revolver’s Bruce Hunt, is an homage to the psychological horror genre and was filmed on location in sub-zero temperatures in New South Wales’ Oberon.

Volkswagen Australia marketing communications manager, Rowena Kanna, commented, “The research highlighted what we knew to be true, albeit anecdotally, which is that these little road stresses can quickly creep up to become genuine anxieties and fears.

“The new Volkswagen Tiguan helps conquer these fears thanks to I.Q. DRIVE, an intelligent driver assistance system with features such as Front Assist, Pedestrian Monitoring, and Lane Assist. We’re confident this exciting and unique campaign will cut through in a cluttered SUV market.”

The campaign is part of the Life feels better in a Volkswagen platform, and is running across TV, online, OOH, radio and social, with interactive AR to launch later in the year.

Credits:

Client: Volkswagen Australia
Marketing Communications Manager: Rowena Kanna
Brand Communications Specialist: Julie Scarff

Agency: DDB Sydney
Chief Creative Officer: Ben Welsh
Executive Creative Director: Matt Chandler
Creative Directors: Tommy Cehak & Tim Woolford
Copywriter: Tom Lawrence
Art Director: Sam Raftl
Chief Strategy Officer: Fran Clayton
Planning Director: James Davis
Managing Partner: Mandy Whatson
Senior Business Director: Nicole Drabsch
Business Manager: Izzy Crohan
Head of Integrated Content: Renata Barbosa
Senior TV Producer: Natalie Greaves
Senior Print Producer: John Wood
Senior Designer: Paul Jansen
Senior Finished Artist: Jose Rodrigues