Of all the commercials that Volkswagen has produced, this one by Johannes Leonardo is the most ambitiously creative. It is far, far away from the expected in car advertising and yet it does its job – and does it well. The Wheel positions Volkswagen’s new electric car, the ID4, as the next stage of the evolution of wheeled transport and does so in a way that is unlikely to disappear into the deluge of information that hits people every day. With so much car advertising in the world, this is one car commercial that will be noticed.
The Wheel was produced without CG or special effects. All of the zoetropes were hand-crafted by artisans and engineers, rather like the ID.4 itself. So the film also subtly underlines the fact that this Volkswagen was developed “from the ground up”. It’s not an electric version of an existing model. It was created to be electric.
The film, which was directed by Sam Brown and produced by Imperial Woodpecker, is running in social media and in various TV versions in the US ahead of the car’s launch in March.
Credits
Agency: Johannes Leonardo
Chief Creative Officers: Jan Jacobs & Leo Premutico
Creative Directors: Kevin Watkins & Jono Flannery
Copywriter: Patrick Wells
Art Director: Iwona Usakiewicz
Head of Production: Maria Perez
Executive Producers: Rebecca O’Neill & Benton Roman
Associate Producer: Haley Harris
Business Affairs Manager: Joe Bringuier
Business Lead: Ben Muldrew
Account Director: Erandika Weerasinghe
Management Supervisor: Mal Gretz
Account Manager: Stephanie Loucas
Project Manager: Sarah Scardillo
Group Strategy Director: Mary Bakarich
Senior Strategist: Eileen Zhao
Product Information Specialist: Ryan Callahan
Production Company: Imperial Woodpecker
Director: Sam Brown
Executive Producer: Doug Halbert
Producer: Polly Ruskin
Director Of Photography: Sebastian Blenkov
Art Director: Henry Boararos
Editing: Cabin Editing Company
Editor: Sam Ostrove
Assistant Editor: Nick Deliberto
Managing Partner: Carr Schilling
Executive Producer: Adam Becht
Producer: Michelle Dorsch
Post Production: The Mill
Executive Producers: Chris Allen & Clairellen Wallin
Producer: Mia Saunders & Shannon Botts
Production Coordinator: Judit Jakli
Production Supervisor: Julia Paskert
Creative Directors: Jorge Montiel & Wes
Colourists: Seamus O’Keane & Thomas Mangham
Executive Producer Colour Charlie Morris
Colour Producer: Evan Baur
Sound: Lime Studios
Audio Mixer: Rohan Young
Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Music House: Lightning Studios
Composer: Seth Olinsky
Licensed Music: Two Maps
Client: Volkswagen Group of America
President & CEO: Scott Keogh
EVP, Sales & Marketing: Duncan Movassaghi
SVP, Marketing: Kimberley Gardiner
Director, Brand & Retail Content: Jennifer Clayton
Manager, Advertising: Chanel Barresi
Senior Specialist, Brand Advertising: Annabel Lyon
Specialist, Brand Advertising: Ladan Rafei
