• AdAge, Monday, January 15, 2007 11 AM

Volkswagen is considering a return to the much-recognized "Driver Wanted" tagline, now that marketing star Kerri Martin has been dropped as director of brand innovation.

Bent on doubling its disappointing 2006 sales, the company is seeking a unifying ad theme that captures VW's brand soul and embodies its core pillars: affordable German engineering, distinctive styling and "fun to drive."

Adrian Hallmark, executive vice president of the VW brand, said the jarring "Safety Happens" car-crash ads generated showroom traffic and increased buyer consideration in 2006. But that's not enough for VW, which projects it won't break even until 2009. Other campaigns, including "Get to Know Your Fast" and "Unpimp Mein Ride," were disparate. "Where is the red line through the middle of all our products with a unifying theory about VW?" he wonders.

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