UNDER THE BONNET
Behind the
scenes
Where did they find the human-sized bowling
pins for the new Polo Vivo commercials? How
did they create the fire scene in the Polo fire
station commercial? Read on for the answers
and much more!
By Netanja van der Westhuizen
The lifesize ‘Insane Lane’ game
The hilarious ‘Bucky Ducky’
The ‘Super Sweeper’
32 Volkswagen
T
elevision commercials don’t have to be
boring or predictable. Volkswagen has
proved that once again with its new
Polo Vivo and Polo television spots, produced
by the creative minds at Ogilvy Cape Town.
We take a look behind the scenes of these
sophisticated, humorous commercials and
ask: so how did they do that?
H
E
M E S B EG
A
G
IN
LET
T
Three different games, one colourful
and effervescent stage, a larger-than-life presenter,
dancers with loads of attitude and seven fearless contestants: these are the
‘ingredients’ of the new Polo Vivo commercials. In these advertisements, a game
show concept is used to communicate this funky vehicle range’s unbeatable offers.
Contestants have to compete against the prices – literally.
Ryan Laubscher, Volkswagen Account Director from Ogilvy explains: “Polo Vivo is
youthful, trendy, bursting with imagination and all about living life to the full. The presenter,
set design, music, wardrobe and all the performances helped to convey this brand essence.”
The creative team was inspired by over-the-top television shows like Wipeout and Takeshi’s
Castle. However, Ryan mentions that they wanted to put a unique South African spin on the
Vivo games. The ‘Insane Lane’ gives a nod to Takeshi’s Castle, but the ‘Super Sweeper’ and
‘Bucky Ducky’ were the team’s creations (can you just imagine that brainstorming session!).
The commercials, each focusing on one of these games, were shot over three days in
two warehouses in Kew, Johannesburg where a production company built the impressive
set. A team of over 20 people, the hilarious actors and the riotous presenter, who
channelled Chris Tucker’s character in the 5th Element, then set about bringing the Vivo
game show to life.
According to Ryan the commercials’ success has a lot to do with Amy Alias, the
director. She not only directed the commercials, but also designed the presenter’s
A real live bowling pin volunteers for the ‘Insane Lane’
Actor Brinsley Motsepa perfects his unimpressed look
wacky outfit and was involved in all
elements of the shoot.
Bowled over
In the ‘Insane Lane’ game, contestants are
put into oversized bowling pins. A large, but
safe, bowling ball is rolled into them and
they’re challenged to stand up to ‘prices that
will bowl you over’.
“The bowling pins were created from
scratch by a costume design company. They
were well padded inside and contestants wore
protective gear to prevent injuries,” explains
Ryan. But why was it so difficult for them to
stay upright? The secret lies in those bowling
pin ‘suits’ – they were heavily weighted at the
top, so falling down was inevitable!
Not your usual bucking bronco
In ‘Bucky Ducky’, a bucking bronco rubber
duck has contestants falling into a pool of
feathers as they compete against ‘prices that
will throw you’. “The duck was designed
to be placed on an existing bucking bronco
mechanism – like the ones you see in seedy
bars,” he laughs. “It was oversized which
meant once it started moving there was very
little to hold onto – with hilarious results.”
Swept up
Dressed in oversized pantsula outfits,
contestants had to jump over the ‘Super
Sweeper’s’ arms to avoid ‘prices that will
sweep you off your feet’. “The spinning table
was a cost-effective game to produce, but
to simply have contestants jumping over the
padded bars would have been very boring. So,
the team came up with the idea to dress them
in oversized pantsula suits to make the game
harder and funnier, and give it some truly
South African flavour,” says Ryan.
Volkswagen 33
all
it
Po
With the pay off line, ‘It’s got it all’, the Polo
commercials emphasise this compact Volkswagen’s
‘big car thinking’. These commercials celebrate the
technology, safety and design features packaged into the
Polo in a tongue-in-cheek way. Just like in the Vivo commercials,
a ‘rands per month offer’ is included at the end.
The three commercials may tell different stories, but they have unexpected situations,
young Polo fans, older sceptics and big endings in common. Jason Yankelowitz, Account
Director Ogilvy Cape Town explains: “We wanted to expand on the original positioning, ‘Big
car thinking in a small package’, which perfectly represents the Polo. It has always been an
energetic, fun and sophisticated brand and the trick was finding a way to marry this with the
fantastic features that the vehicle offers. The outcome was a humorous campaign based on
everyday scenarios, showing that the Polo has got it all.”
The commercials, which were shot over three days in Cape Town, were directed by Jun Diaz,
an established comedic director from New York. Jun’s easy-going attitude helped to realise the
commercials’ understated quirkiness.
ESP, cruise control and luxurious
interior. And the minister agrees.
Driving in a motor cavalcade, flanked
by policemen on motorbikes, he is positively
impressed.
Peri van Papendorp, Creative Group
Head mentions that the Cape Town library
provided the perfect location for some of this
commercial’s ‘official’ scenes. The aide’s office
is a room in the library, while the first shot of
the Polo was filmed outside this imposing
building, across the road from parliament.
In cities, there’s a constant interplay
between shade and sunlight, but this doesn’t
do filming any favours. The team stayed in
touch via walkie-talkies while driving around
the CBD looking for shoot-worthy shady
spots to avoid sudden bursts of sunlight. As
the roads weren’t closed off, the team also had
to contend with traffic, but this just adds to the
commercial’s authenticity.
t
lo h
o
as g
Fit for a minister
In the ‘ministerial vehicle’ commercial, a young minister’s aide interrupts an older official with
the news that ‘it’ is ready. The gentleman looks mystified when he sees the Polo TDI and is told
that it’s the minister’s vehicle. His younger associate, however, is enthusiastic about the ABS,
The Polo BlueMotion getting ready to roll for an interior take of the actors
Thumbs up from Director
(Jun Diaz) – right – and his crew
The Minister’s Aide feeling comfortable with a camera over his shoulder
Young Polo fans,
older sceptics and
big endings
34 Volkswagen
Vehicle with a view
In the second spot, a young employee excitedly calls his boss, who is the manager of a tour bus
company, to look at the new arrival: the Polo BlueMotion. It looks out of place next to the other
tour buses and the manager, who is worried about an Asian tour group’s arrival, is perplexed.
Undeterred and clearly in awe, the young guy explains that it has ABS, ESP, a five-star Euro
NCAP Safety rating and that it’s one of the most fuel efficient cars in South Africa. As the boss,
employee and tourists drive around, enjoying the view – and the drive in the Polo – you can’t
help but smile.
Commenting on the locations, Peri says: “An office of a travel company in Cape Town
was used at the beginning of the commercial. It is next to a wood cutting factory, which was
repurposed as the tour bus depot for the commercial. If you live in the Western Cape, you may
realise that the sweeping coastline at the end was filmed in Gordon’s Bay.”
During the driving scene (just as in the ministerial spot), the Polo was placed on a flatbed
truck with a rigged camera to allow the ‘actors’ to concentrate on their performances – and not
their driving.
Fiery red
The third commercial sees an unimpressed, take-no-nonsense fire chief looking at the Polo GTI
outside his fire station. A young fire fighter explains that it has ABS, ESP, a new generation TSI
engine and 132kW and, he adds, it is red. You then see the Polo arriving on the scene of a fire,
fast, furious and every bit as good as a fire engine.
Peri mentions that this commercial was
shot late into the night. Filming started at
Cape Town’s Goodwood Fire Station, where
the professional fire fighters happily shared
their expertise to make the commercial more
‘real’. The team then moved to a closed
off street in the CBD for the final scene.
It took four hours to set up and had the
public gawking. A company that specialises
in smoke production for shoots helped
to create the perception that a building
was on fire.
One of South Africa’s top stunt drivers
ensured that the Polo skidded perfectly into
the final shot. “We had to do about 20
takes and there were a few hair-raising
moments, involving a R1 million camera
and a cameraman,” says Peri. But just as in
the other commercials, it was all in a day’s
work for the teams behind these terrific new
Volkswagen commercials.
The impressive Polo GTI skids into action
Volkswagen 35