VW Feels the Force

Volkswagen has gone where no car company has gone before.

Well… OK. Mixed shows there. But the German car company has achieved the zeitgeist with the new ad for the Passat.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0]

Called “The Force”, the spot features a young child dressed as Darth Vader as he tries to use the Force on household appliances, the family dog, a doll, lunch… all the while John Williams’ most recognized track – “The Imperial March” – plays in the background. The spot will air during the 2nd quarter of the Super Bowl, but has already garnered over 7 million views as of Friday, and has gone viral all over social media and the Internet.

It seems Volkswagen is investing quite a bit to increase its market share in the United States. Consider that each 30-second slip of air time during the game costs $300,000. And consider what we know of George Lucas and the very lucrative licensing operations out at Skywalker Ranch.

VW is banking a good chunk of change to get more Americans to play Slugbug.