• by Tanya Gazdik , 6 hours ago

Volkswagen of America is bringing back its iconic and well-known “Drivers Wanted” campaign theme. 

The original campaign was developed by Arnold Communications in the late 1990s. The reimagined creative is from Volkswagen's current AOR, Johannes Leonardo. 

The 90-second spot “The Great Invitation: Drivers wanted” debuts Feb. 3, while a 30-second version will appear in the second half of Super Bowl XL. 

Directed by Leigh Powis of ProdCo, the advertising spot kicks off a campaign highlighting all the ways you can say “yes” in life. It is set to a classic early '90s hip-hop anthem, “Jump Around” from House of Pain. 

The spot shows a series of invitations: a group of friends inviting their friend to dance in the rain, a dust-covered Golf GTI with "call me" scrawled beneath a phone number.  These moments capture the spirit of saying yes—a declaration that echoes the original campaign's mission to invite young consumers to blaze their own trails and drive culture forward, according to the auotomaker. 

The reimagined campaign invites a new generation to embrace individuality, curiosity, and encourages saying yes when opportunity calls, says Rachael Zaluzec, senior vice president of customer experience and brand marketing.

“The original era of ‘Drivers wanted’ resonated because it instilled possibility through originality," Zaluzec tells Marketing Daily. “Today, this sentiment still rings true. We chose to reimagine it at a time when people are looking for joy and optimism, with an uplifting invitation to get back in the driver’s seat.”

She adds, "The Big Game brings people across generations and communities together in a shared cultural moment. There is no better platform to reach fans who remember the campaign fondly from the '90s, while introducing it to new audiences for the first time.”