The VW Dog Advert

There has been a mini-furore in the press and around the Internet about this advert for the VW Polo. Many viewers have felt the need to complain about the 'animal cruelty' involved.

As an animal lover, dog and multiple cat-owner I beg to differ. It is obviously staged, and is usually shown later in the evenings when the kids are (or should be) in bed. My wife is an even bigger animal lover and non-meat eater and it's the only advert she doesn't fast-forward on our Sky+ box.

VW and DDB have a long history of producing clever, edgy advertising, and this is a natural fit after spots like this one 'Bollocks'.

I could try and find lots of clever words about metaphors, non-literal-communication and the likes, but it's probably better summed by its creators in these credits:

Credits

The Polo Confidence trick was developed at DDB London, by creative director Jeremy Craigen, art director Feargal Ballance, copywriter Dylan Harrison and agency producer Lucy ‘Legs’ Westmore.

Dylan Harrison says, “The idea came from that feeling you get when you’re in the shower. You’re relaxed, you don’t have a care in the world and, regardless of your ability, you can feel free to belt out any song that comes to mind. This is how it feels to drive around in the safety of the Polo.”

Feargal Ballance says, “After the idea, the next challenge was finding the right track. When we eventually stumbled across ‘I’m a man’ by the Spencer Davis Group which we liked it instantly. Firstly it’s a bloke’s song - it’s manly, proud and coming from the mouth of a dog could be very funny. Next we needed someone to sing our song. We found a wonderful singer in Charlie Winston who has a fantastic voice, characterful and actually sounded like it was coming from our dog.”

Filming was shot in San Pedro, Los Angeles, by director Noam Murro via Biscuit Filmworks, Los Angeles.

Editing was done by Tim Thornton-Allan at Marshall Street Editors.