PR has storytelling at its core and this campaign utilized strategic storytelling, crafted to revitalize Volkswagen's brand image in Brazil. By leveraging the cultural legacy of Elis Regina and her daughter Maria Rita, the campaign generated over 50 million organic views (excluding WhatsApp, its primary medium) and unprecedented engagement. It dominated social media trends, achieving more than 20 times the invested value in earned media. This transformative approach not only enhanced Volkswagen’s reputation but also reestablished its relevance and connection with Brazilian society, influencing public opinion and driving record business success in a highly competitive market.

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 PR strategy capitalized on Elis Regina's cultural significance to evoke emotion and connection with Brazilians, while emphasizing Volkswagen's legacy and innovation. The key message conveyed how each VW model inherits quality from past generations. Targeting a broad demographic of Brazilian adults over 18, the campaign aimed to resonate with individuals and organizations alike. Assets, including a duet between Elis Regina and her daughter Maria Rita, were strategically distributed through organic channels, such as events, WhatsApp, and media outlets, to maximize reach and engagement.

The PR execution commenced with unveiling the film at the VW’s 70th anniversary event on July 3. So, instead of using paid media for the launch, we showed it for the first time to 5000 people, during Volkswagen's 70th anniversary event, on a big screen. Soon after, we sent the film to each atendee’s WhatsApp (Brazil's main communication app). In just a few hours, it took over the country completely.

On the same night, we sent the material with the film + all the campaign information to the main news portals and websites in the country, explaining the message behind the campaign. But the success was so great that we spent the following days responding to hundreds of emails and requests for articles that kept arriving.

The strategy reached a vast scale, ultimately achieving unprecedented organic engagement and conversation volume, making it the most successful in Brazil’ history.

These are the results from the first week, alone. 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)

-The highest organic engagement in Brazil's advertising history (even the first-lady shared it spontaneously);

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

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

The campaign also generated:

- Substantial media coverage with over 2,200 publications across official portals, TV, and newspapers,

- Earned media value exceeded 20 times the investment, showcasing exceptional ROI.

-Perceptions of Volkswagen as an innovative and culturally integrated brand were enhanced | + 15% increase in perception of "Innovative Brand" going to 84% | + 28% increase in "Brazilian Brand" going to 64%.

-It entered people's conversations. On all social-networks, we observed duets, reaction videos, and a plethora of content commenting on the campaign, and even questions about the use of artificial intelligence. Even the Elis family, who loved the campaign, was invited for many interviews.

- Coverage tone was overwhelmingly positive (88% positive, 10% neutral), successfully communicating the message.

-Significant improvement in brand equity and reputation scores, underlining restored confidence and trust in the brand.

But, again, did you read that it generated the highest volume of conversations in the brand’s history?! :O