Speedy Gonzalez is VW's new mascot.

Yannis · 03-16-2006, 02:09 AM

Volkswagen Helps Speedy Go Faster

NEW YORK – Starting today, Volkswagen will roll out three new commercials aimed at Hispanic car-buyers, the company announced.

The beloved cartoon character Speedy Gonzales will star alongside the GTI Mk V model. The spots will show on over a dozen Spanish-language channels nationwide.

The commercials mark an ongoing effort by Volkswagen, Auburn Hills, Mich., to reach Hispanic consumers, this time about its mid-range hatchback.

“We knew the Hispanic consumer didn’t have a history,” with the car, said Daniel Marrero, partner and creative director for CreativeOndemanD, Coral Gables, Fla., agency of record for Volkswagen’s Hispanic accounts.

“We had the challenge having to communicate that this was a smart, agile, fast car in the quickest way possible,” Marrero told Brandweek today.

Speedy Gonzales was a good fit for the campaign because, in part, “he’s kind of an icon for Hispanics,” Marrero said. “He’s always outwitting his enemies.”

The three commercials use vintage Warner Bros. footage and will show Speedy in a series of adventures: he taunts cats and helps his friends get cheese. True to his cartoon background, he even gets run over by a GTI.

“We are using him in an unusual and irreverent way,” Marrero said.

Financials were not disclosed. C.O.D. has worked with Volkswagen for four years on multiple campaigns, Marrero said. The auto giant spent $10 million on Hispanic media in 2005, per TNS Media Intelligence.

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MikeJ · 03-16-2006, 03:00 AM

Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale! Yeeee-haaa!

I'm surprised they have the guts to use a character that could be seen as a racial stereotype by the ultra-PC crowd.

bmwrules · 03-19-2006, 03:21 PM

VW has to take down some billboard ads for being offensive to hispanics.

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Quote:

Volkswagen said Friday it will remove billboards in New York, Los Angeles and Miami after receiving complaints that a word used in an advertisement was offensive to Hispanics.

The ad for the new GTI 2006 had a photo of the sports car accompanied by the words "Turbo-Cojones." Cojones, which means testicles in Spanish, has become a casually used term for boldness or guts in English but has never lost its more vulgar connotations in its native language.

A billboard in the Miami neighborhood of Little Havana generated complaints, and the company decided to remove it Wednesday, said Steve Keyes, a Volkswagen spokesman. Volkswagen AG has received no complaints for its billboards in New York and Los Angeles but decided to pull them anyway.

Ana Roca, a professor of Spanish and linguistics at Florida International University, said the English usage of the word "doesn't have the same power it has in Spanish."

"People who are reading it in a Spanish neighborhood, it will have a different effect for them ... because they realize the real connotation," Roca said.

Keyes said the original billboard was not intended to offend anyone. Instead, it was an attempt to convey that the GTI is a "high-performance sports car," he said.

The billboards will be replaced with two ads, with one saying "Here today, gone tamale" and the other "Kick a little gracias."

Brookside · 03-19-2006, 10:22 PM

May I suggest an alternate?

The one and only pepe LePeu!!!!
Didn't the world just go thru this with some Danish cartoons?
More bad ideas from the people who dreamed up the name Touareg.

Bozzor · 04-10-2006, 08:53 AM

Here is my suggestion for what VW shoudl use to appeal to the Latino community...

These two perfectly symbolize ther best Mexico has to offer, and anyone who says otherwise can go kiss my cojones!

03-16-2006, 02:09 AM	#1 (permalink)
Yannis Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 7,198 My Mood: Thanks: 1,243 Thanked 1,231 Times in 703 Posts	Speedy Gonzalez is VW's new mascot. Volkswagen Helps Speedy Go Faster NEW YORK – Starting today, Volkswagen will roll out three new commercials aimed at Hispanic car-buyers, the company announced. The beloved cartoon character Speedy Gonzales will star alongside the GTI Mk V model. The spots will show on over a dozen Spanish-language channels nationwide. The commercials mark an ongoing effort by Volkswagen, Auburn Hills, Mich., to reach Hispanic consumers, this time about its mid-range hatchback. “We knew the Hispanic consumer didn’t have a history,” with the car, said Daniel Marrero, partner and creative director for CreativeOndemanD, Coral Gables, Fla., agency of record for Volkswagen’s Hispanic accounts. “We had the challenge having to communicate that this was a smart, agile, fast car in the quickest way possible,” Marrero told Brandweek today. Speedy Gonzales was a good fit for the campaign because, in part, “he’s kind of an icon for Hispanics,” Marrero said. “He’s always outwitting his enemies.” The three commercials use vintage Warner Bros. footage and will show Speedy in a series of adventures: he taunts cats and helps his friends get cheese. True to his cartoon background, he even gets run over by a GTI. “We are using him in an unusual and irreverent way,” Marrero said. Financials were not disclosed. C.O.D. has worked with Volkswagen for four years on multiple campaigns, Marrero said. The auto giant spent $10 million on Hispanic media in 2005, per TNS Media Intelligence. - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

03-16-2006, 03:00 AM	#2 (permalink)
MikeJ Fanatic Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Oulu Posts: 2,074 My Mood: Thanks: 172 Thanked 620 Times in 320 Posts	Re: Speedy Gonzalez is VW's new mascot. Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale! Yeeee-haaa! I'm surprised they have the guts to use a character that could be seen as a racial stereotype by the ultra-PC crowd.

03-19-2006, 10:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
Brookside Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Brookside Posts: 177 Thanks: 62 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Speedy Gonzalez is VW's new mascot. May I suggest an alternate? The one and only pepe LePeu!!!! Didn't the world just go thru this with some Danish cartoons? More bad ideas from the people who dreamed up the name Touareg.

04-10-2006, 08:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
Bozzor Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sydney (most of the time) Posts: 286 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Speedy Gonzalez is VW's new mascot. Here is my suggestion for what VW shoudl use to appeal to the Latino community... These two perfectly symbolize ther best Mexico has to offer, and anyone who says otherwise can go kiss my cojones!

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