Volkswagen is the leading car manufacturer when it comes to introducing innovative technologies to the masses. Still, many people don’t know what the new features are about and what they are actually good for.

To change that situation the client asked us to come up with a simple yet interesting way of communicating the benefit of the Side-Assist, a technology that monitors the area behind and at the sides of the car and alerts drivers when other vehicles are hidden from view.

Approaching people with advertising in a classic way can be tough these days. Whether it is billboards in the streets or online banners – most people just don’t pay attention or click away. Therefore it is more important than ever to find interesting ways to engage with them while keeping the message simple.

With the Volkswagen Side-Assist Arrows we found the perfect way of doing both. By using arrows that drew attention to our competitors’ cars, we showed the main benefit of the feature across in a simple and surprising way: that it makes sure you see other cars.

People encounter cars in all kinds of media, which gave us the opportunity to implement the idea not only in classic channels, but also online and in the streets.

The Volkswagen Side-Assist Arrows pointed at ads, cars and dealerships of Audi, Renault, Smart, Seat, Toyota, Mazda, Infinity, Ford, Mini, and even at a “Trabi” from former East Germany.

As a first step we booked spaces in magazines to place our arrows next to other car ads, while at the same time having specialized banners that appeared next to our competitors ads for online usage.

Besides these two implementations, we also used a custom-built trailer with a large LED-arrow that we placed next to parked cars and huge blow-up billboards of competitors.

Additionally we placed huge inflatables and floor stickers at billboards and other brand’s dealerships. Not to mention an arrow-drone that we had following around cars in the streets.