Back in September Volkswagen introduced its new brand design, which changed everything from the famous VW logo to the way the company is going to do commercials.You might have already noticed that every new Volkswagen TV commercial has a female voiceover. But why is that? And have you heard the Volkswagen’s new sound logo?
The reason why Volkswagen needed a new brand design is simple – the company wants to separate its present from the past. Volkswagen is shifting its strategy towards electric cars and wants to forget the infamous dieselgate scandal, which emerged back in 2015. And so Volkswagen launched the biggest design change in company’s rich history.
Volkswagen now has a new logo, which looks a lot like the old one, but is more flat, simpler and lighter. It works better in the digital space, while not losing its main features. Quite frankly, you may not even noticed it changed.
Volkswagen has also launched its new sound logo. It is a short melody, composed just from a few chords, which is going to represent Volkswagen in media material (TV commercials and internet videos) as well as in vehicles of the brand. Germany’s largest car manufacturer hopes that this sound will translate the new image of Volkswagen into a memorable acoustic form.
Here, take a listen – the new Volkswagen acoustic logo:
At the end of this little clip you heard a female voice saying “Volkswagen”, which is both the name and the slogan of the brand. Volkswagen decided that from now on the voiceover in all of its commercials is going to be female. Woman’s voice is softer, warmer and friendlier – it matches the new image of Volkswagen better. For decades Volkswagen used a male voice, which characterized the image of brand’s vehicles as serious, dependable and solid. Female voice breaks this rather cold image and makes it brighter, while still showing confidence.
This is a good example of what you can expect from Volkswagen commercials in the coming years:
It is a bit odd though – why Volkswagen has to use male or female voice exclusively? Why the voiceover actor or actress is not chosen separately for every commercial? We presented these questions to Volkswagen and their marketing representative explained that they are trying to create a recognizable personality. These features – graphic and acoustic logos, female voiceover and new overall design make up the essence of what Volkswagen’s image is and so it is important to have these details nailed down.
Volkswagen changed its entire brand design. From now on a bigger emphasis in ads and commercials will be put on people and not just cars. Volkswagen will not focus on perfection, but will present realistic and relatable situations. More color and more emotion everywhere. We can’t wait to see how this will change Volkswagen’s public image in the near future.
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