This campaign effectively utilized social media and the powerful influence of cultural icons, merging technology with nostalgia. By resurrecting Elis Regina through AI for a duet with her daughter Maria Rita, the project created a viral sensation. Initially launched on WhatsApp, it quickly spread organically to YouTube and other social-platforms, like Instagram and X, then amplified by TV. This strategic rollout leveraged organic and influencer-driven buzz, generating massive engagement and exceeding commercial-targets without the need for continued paid promotion. Its innovative use of a beloved figure significantly magnified social reach and influencer impact, making it highly relevant for this category.

Volkswagen, the first automaker in Brazil, became a cultural icon, intertwined with the lives of millions of Brazilians and top in sales for decades. Known as 'Volks', it was seen as quintessentially Brazilian despite its German origins. However, as the market evolved rapidly with new technologies and competitors, Volkswagen struggled to keep pace. It launched products later than rivals and began losing its connection with Brazilian consumers. The brand faced the risk of becoming obsolete in the emerging era of electrification, having not introduced any electric or hybrid models in a market increasingly focused on the future.

The choice of the artists and their song for the campaign was strategic. The song itself is a cultural touchstone, called “Just Like Our Parents” is a Brazilian anthem that talks about the continuity and change between generations and how “the new always come” (the lyrics say “It is you who loves the past and doesn’t see that the new always come”), mirroring Volkswagen’s message of evolving yet staying true to its roots.

Elis Regina is a Brazilian music legend, considered the greatest female Brazilian singer in history, by Rolling Stones Magazine (and many Brazilian people as well). She died in 1986, leaving behind a 4-year-old daughter: Maria Rita. That many years later, would become “one of the greatest voices of the country” (word of New York Times, not ours), winning a total of 8 Grammy Awards, and 10 Platinum Discs.

Since 2018, Volkswagen had been striving, through new launches, to position itself at the same level of innovation as its competitors. In 2023, on its 70th anniversary, an opportunity arose: the unveiling of its first electric-cars. But the year began with aggressive sales challenges. In this scenario, the client's request was to create content to spread (mainly) on social-media with an ambitious goal: to reestablish an emotional connection between Volkswagen and Brazilians.

But there were also many objectives combined:

-To celebrate VW’s 70th anniversary in Brazil,

-To say that each Volkswagen carries with it the innovation and quality of the previous generation of VW cars;

-To introduce the 1st VW electrics in Brazil, to show the current line and the classics cars that became part of the culture;

-To do all that while showing the current line of cars and also the classics ones that became part of Brazilian culture.

The perfect blend of nostalgia and innovation. To bring together the past and present, and to represent the quality and innovation that’s passed down to every generation ov VW cars, we gathered two singers from different generations. An encounter between Maria Rita, an award-winning singer, and Elis Regina, Maria Rita's late mother. We chose the song “Just Like Our Parents”, a Brazilian anthem released in 1976 by Elis, which remains popular to this day. The song talks about the relationship between past and future, and says: 'the new always comes,' which is precisely what we needed to present from Volkswagen, a brand with a relevant history but always innovating, looking towards the future.

And they sing together, while driving side by side. All that, interspersed with nostalgic scenes, very present in Brazilian culture. Showing cars that entered popular culture, (Beetle, Brasília, etc.), and also the models form the current fleet.

The strategy focused on engaging a broad Brazilian audience of adults over 18 across all states. Data gathering through extensive research and interviews underscored Volkswagen's profound cultural resonance, which informed the campaign's nostalgic yet innovative approach. The selection of Elis Regina and Maria Rita as protagonists was based on their emblematic status in Brazilian music and cultural history, which perfectly aligned with the campaign’s theme of generation’s legacy.

This insight led to the blending of Volkswagen’s 70-year heritage with the introduction of its modern ID electric vehicles, especially the ID.Buzz. The campaign launched organically on WhatsApp to leverage personal networks, expanding to YouTube and other social-media to fit each platform’s engagement style. This narrative was specially tailored to resonate on social-platforms, where stories and memories thrive. By using beloved figures and tailored content for digital platforms, the strategy effectively rejuvenated Volkswagen’s image, maximizing reach and resonance with the target audience.

The commercial was shot with an actress that resembled Elis Regina, and Elis' face was meticulously crafted using deepfake technology and superimposed in post-production.

Elis' original voice in the song was preserved while Maria Rita provided a new instrumental arrangement and new vocals for the duet.

The film was released on July 3, 2023. First released on WhatsApp. Right afterwards, it was releases on YouTube and social media (everything organically). Paid media was introduced only a week later, when the full 2-minute version was aired on TV. The commercial spread throughout the country like wildfire. Due to its overwhelming success, the client did not continue the media investment they had planned. For all the goals have already been beaten and extrapolated. MTV selected the commercial to be shown as a music video on MTV HITs what exemplifies its innovative execution and impactful scale.

Brand’s results from the first week, before any media spending:

-Viral sensation, over 24 hours in the #1 trend topic (X, YouTube, Google)

-Over 50.000.000 organic views (excluding WhatsApp, its primary channel)

-Over 2.000.000.000 impressions (that’s almost 10 for each Brazilian)

-It entered people's conversations. The highest organic engagement in Brazil's advertising history.

-After that, VW made sales leader within two weeks, a feat unseen in 10 years. And closed 2023 as the fastest-growing auto brand.

-To summarize: it generated the highets volume of conversations in the brand’s history.

Artists’ Results:

-MTV selected the commercial to be shown as a music-video

-+2.000% in searches on Google and Youtube

-Maria Rita had a 350% increase in concert invitations.

-Even invited to perform the campaign-song to the president (who cried during the performance).

-Elis Regina got over 1 million of new listeners on music platforms such as Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music.

The commercial was orchestrated for the Brazilian audience. Here's how:

Generational Connection: They featured legendary singer Elis Regina, a national treasure, singing with her daughter sparked emotional connection across generations.

Cultural Nostalgia: Showcasing classic VW models alongside nostalgic scenes from Brazilian life, evoked a sense of shared history and cultural significance.

The song itself is a cultural touchstone, called “Just Like Our Parents” is a Brazilian anthem that talks about the continuity and change between generations and how “the new always come”, mirroring Volkswagen’s message of evolving yet staying true to its roots.

The "mother-daughter" duet resonated with family values deeply embedded in Brazilian culture.

Not to mention, bringing the novelty of the full electrics in the right context. “Teaching” the audience that Volkswagen has electric cars.

By tapping into emotions, shared history, and cultural pride, the commercial resonated deeply with Brazilians by weaving a narrative rich in local references.