A Volkswagen Couple Get Busy in a 'Luv Bug' and Soon Need Bigger and Bigger Cars

With the arrival of spring, love is in the air in Volkswagen's new "Luv Bug" commercial—which, contrary to what you might think, isn't for its classic "love bug" Beetle but for its seven-seater Atlas. The ad kicks off with some actual love going down in a VW bug overlooking a cityscape. As the couple's family grows, the Beetle gets swapped out for progressively bigger vehicles, from the Jetta to the Atlas. Let's just say each one gets some lovin' treatment. [kickout id="1"] The 1:00 spot is punctuated by Dean Martin's "The Birds and the Bees." Aptly, wildlife does play a role, as witnesses to this pair's passion. But the real stars here are the succession of Volkswagen models, which play a pretty blunt role in family affairs (especially its growth, which the brand both fosters and profits from, a weirdly blunt commercial symbiosis). It's been a rough couple of years for Volkswagen post-Dieselgate, which will likely end with a settlement deal in which the brand promises to pay out $1.2 billion via cash or buyback deals to U.S. diesel owners—this, among other things, atop a $4.3 billion settlement for false advertising. In a tiny amount of time, a brand, whose work (especially around the Beetle) consistently charmed us, lost 55 years of accrued goodwill and must scratch its way back into our good graces. To its credit, "Luv Bug" signals a dogged desire to advance with trademark brand quirkiness, as opposed to folding conservatively inward. Still, use of the Beetle's nickname is clearly a nostalgic tug at our heartstrings, pining for a time when our relationship was more loving and less fraught. In a way, the sight of a couple continuing their youthful in-car sex antics well into a grownup relationship—usually a point when people opt for a more comfortable choice, like their own bed—also feels like a sorry lover's appeal: Remember the wild, unpredictable passion we used to share? I still have that for you! "Luv Bug" was created by Deutsch, Volkswagen's longtime U.S. agency, and debuted Monday in prime-time programming, including Fox's 24 Legacy. It will also run during the Final Four and Stanley Cup playoffs, among other highly visible touchpoints. CREDITS Client: Volkswagen President, CEO: Hinrich Woebcken VP, Marketing: Vinay Shahani Director, Marketing Communications and Media: Jennifer Clayton Advertising Manager, VW Marketing: Chanel Barresi Brand Advertising Senior Specialist: Tammy Nguyen Agency: Deutsch Creative: Chief Creative Officer, North America: Pete Favat Executive Creative Director: Todd Riddle Group Creative Director: Heath Pochucha Creative Director: Zaid Al-Asady Creative Director: Paul Oberlin Creative Director: Matt Sherman Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo Executive Integrated Producer: Margaret Nickerson Senior Integrated Producer: Samantha Bonom Music Supervisor: Eryk Rich Account Management: Group Account Director: Tom Else Account Director: Alex Gross Account Supervisor: Erin Shanahan Account Executive: Nate Pouley Director of Product Information: Jason Clark Product Information Supervisor: Chris Brown Account Planning: Co-Director of Strategy: Susie Lyons Senior Strategist: Ben Perreira Junior Strategist: Leigh Citarella Business Affairs/Traffic: Director of Integrated Business Affairs: Abilino Guillermo Group Director Integrated Business Affairs: Gabriela Farias Director or Broadcast Traffic: Carie Bonillo Broadcast Traffic Manager: Courtney Tylka Production Company Biscuit Filmworks Director: Andreas Nilsson Executive Producer: Holly Vega Line Producer: Jay Veal Editorial Company Cut + Run Executive Producer: Amburr Farls Producer: Annabelle Dunbar-Whittaker Editor: Steve Gandolfi Assistant Editor: Luc Giddens Post Facility Jogger Executive Producer: Rich Rama Creative Director: David Parker Producer: Ben Sposato Color Correction Company 3 Executive Producer: Ashley McKim Colorist: Sean Coleman Licensed Music Track Info: Licensed Music for “Snowboard” Track – “The Birds & The Bees” Artist: Dean Martin Audio Post Company Lime Studios Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Audio Engineer: Matt Miller Shoot Location: Los Angeles area

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A Volkswagen Couple Get Busy in a 'Luv Bug' and Soon Need Bigger and Bigger Cars

Deutsch's cheeky route to the 7-seater Atlas

Angela Natividad

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