VDub

This article is about the advertisements for the Volkswagen GTI. For the video editing software, see VirtualDub. For the company whose vehicles are nicknamed VDub's, see Volkswagen.

VDub was a parody tagline, used in a short series of commercials for German car manufacturer Volkswagen. As part of a 2006 advertising campaign for Volkswagen, advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky created a series of three television commercials directed by Jonas Åkerlund, starring Swedish actor Peter Stormare as an effete German engineer named Wolfgang, and German model Zonja Wöstendiek as his assistant Miss Helga. The ads were created as a parody of MTV's Pimp My Ride.

The commercials began airing in late February 2006. Prior to the full launch of the TV campaign, the three 30-second spots became something of an internet phenomenon when popular automotive news website Leftlane News uploaded the ads to video distribution service YouTube. As of early March 2006, the ads had received over two million views on YouTube. Three years later, that number was over 10 million.

Commercials

Throughout the commercials, Wolfgang appears with his blonde assistant, a guest, and the guest's pimped-out vehicle. After insulting the automobile, he then "un-pimps ze auto" by destroying it, and replacing it with a 2006 Volkswagen GTI, to the surprise of his guest. At the end of the advertisements, Wolfgang flashes a hand sign to create the letters V and W in the same orientation as found in the Volkswagen logo. The hand sign is an imitation of the gang signs popularized by hip-hop culture.

"Wrecking Ball"

• An EG-series Honda Civic is hit by a wrecking ball.

"Crate"

• A Ford Focus ZX3 is crushed by a falling container containing the Volkswagen GTI. The Focus is referred to as a "98 Vatchamacallit" though the Focus was not available in the US (for which the commercials were produced) until 2000.

"Catapult"

• A 2nd-Gen Mitsubishi Eclipse is thrown by a trebuchet-like device.

See also

• Volkswagen advertising history

External links

• "Wrecking Ball" featured on Ads of the World (QuickTime format)
• "Crate" featured on Ads of the World (QuickTime format)
• "Catapult" featured on Ads of the World (QuickTime format)
• Leftlane News
• VW GTI homepage

• GTI spec page with video created featuring VDub's assistant
• Miss Helga's MySpace Page (Video and Soundboard)