Walkinshaw Station ‘Reared For The Road’
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
Issue 62 | March 2022
Agency
DDB Group Sydney
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer Australia Ben Welsh Chief Creative Officer Sydney Tara Ford Executive Creative Director Matt Chandler Creative Directors Tommy Cehak, Tim Woolford Senior Art Directors Elaine Li, Nicole Yeoman Senior Copywriters Jared Wicker, Allie Steel Creative Miguel Gadea Creative Partner (DDB Tribal) David Jackson
Production Team
Head of Integrated Content Renata Barbosa Lead Senior Producer Tania Jeram Senior Print Producer John Wood Social Manager Mo Komolafe Head of Design Ramon Rodriguez Senior Designer Paul Jansen Director The Glue Society
Other Credits
Managing Partner Nick Russo Chief Strategy Officer Fran Clayton Planning Director James Davis Senior Business Director Nicole Drabsch Business Director Luke Thistleton Business Executive Rasheida Cooper Group Business Director (DDB Tribal) Kenny McLeod Project Manager (DDB Tribal) Sebastian Bennett-Leat Business Manager (DDB Tribal) Alasdair Kay Senior Business Manager (DDB Track) Harrison Schaap Client National Marketing and Product Manager Nicholas Reid Product Marketing Manager James Thompson Marketing Communications Manager Michelle Rowney
Date
May 2021
Background
The Volkswagen Amarok V6 is the most powerful 4x4 pick-up truck (ute) in Australia, renowned for its off-road performance. In 2021 Volkswagen partnered with renowned racing team Walkinshaw Racing to develop a pick-up truck that performs as well on the road, as it does off it, the Amarok W Series.
Idea
Walkinshaw Station was a tourist destination, the place where this new breed came from. To launch the Amarok W Series, a 60-second TVC invited drivers to visit this mythical place where utes are captured from the wild and tuned for the road. They were directed to the website to book their stay and the ‘experiences’ that could be had there. People could purchase merchandise through the web store and explore a scrapbook of photos of the land at Walkinshaw station. If they couldn’t make it in real life, a mobile AR experience was created where people could try and tame the wild beast in their own driveway.
OOH advertising ‘Walkinshaw Country’ as well as Instagram films from ranch hands gave further depth and credibility to the story. The first thoroughbred Ute auction was even hosted, live, and the W-Series Amarok sold for over AUD $100,000.
Results
Launch stock sold out in 6 minutes.
Over 200,000 visitors to Walkinshaw Station.
2.4% increase in market share.
#1 test-driven Volkswagen in Australia.
#1 sold Volkswagen in Australia.
Our Thoughts
Professor Graeme Davidson at Monash University has written recently, “We often tend to think that Australians are antiauthoritarian, kind of little Ned Kellys who are questioning of authority and I think that is actually probably the reverse. We’re usually compliant and obedient.” He was talking about the country’s response to Covid. But it seems to me this campaign has been so successful because it taps straight into your typical Aussie’s selfimage, even if it isn’t true. In fact, it’s probably because it isn’t true this appeal to the wild side is so effective.