RLA Group campaign drives VW Vans’ change of attitude

VW%20vansVolkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VCV) is taking on market leaders Ford and Vauxhall with a new strategy that aims to move VCV away from the main VW brand.

The company is launching an outdoor, press, direct marketing and online campaign created by RLA Group in an attempt to recapture the “mass premium” market that is dominated by Ford.

VCV is third biggest commercial vehicle manufacturer behind Ford and Vauxhall with a market share of 8%. The new campaign features the strapline “Let’s Go To Work” and follows on from the “Apparently Volkswagen also make cars” activity that broke in 2005 (MW September 29, 2005).

VCV has enjoyed six successive years of growth but says it is now time to give VCV a “distinctive business proposition” of its own that is separate to the passenger cars division of the company.

RLA board account director Simon Pride says: “This is more than a campaign – it represents a new attitude and proposition for VCV. It is more customer-focused, more competitive and more business-like than previous campaigns.”

Brand communications manager Mike Owens adds: “VW has always traded on quality but as other brands start to catch up we need to show our customers and the rest of the van market that we can deliver a much more rounded proposition that will appeal to the businessman.”