ABOUT ADS OF THE WEIRD

With Ads of the Weird, MSNBC.com takes a look at some of the oddest, most eye-catching, controversial and just plain interesting advertising out there today. Primary writer Allison Linn covers the retail and advertising industries for MSNBC.com. The Ads of the Weird team is always interested in hearing what ads have caught your attention, whether it's online, on television or in print.


Nothing comes between Brooke Shields and a minivan

Posted: Monday, September 29, 2008 4:00 PM by Allison Linn
Filed Under:

Brooke Shields has come a long way since declaring nothing comes between her and her Calvins, but the child star turned sitcom staple still has a canny eye for picking an ad that showcases her talents in the best light.

A new campaign for Volkswagen’s Routan minivan features Shields pretending to be a humanitarian worried about the plight of yuppie parents who are having children simply so they can have an excuse to buy a Routan.

"Have a baby for love, not for German engineering," Shields opines, ignoring and discounting the confused pregnant women and their husbands as they attempt to explain that, of course, they are not reproducing as an excuse to buy a new car.

Volkswagen (Click image to view ad)

Of course, you only need to think about the premise of the ad for a millisecond to question it.

If you really want to be able to afford a nice, German-engineered car, clearly the best decision you can make is not to have children, who tend to drain your bank account, ruin your car’s upholstery and require you to think about things like whether you can cram a couple car seats in that back seat.

But let’s face it, a good ad doesn’t need to be logical, and this one works because it’s offbeat and funny -- in other words, precisely because it doesn’t make sense.

That’s mostly thanks to Shields’ earnest, deadpan delivery, which is both a smart parody of her fellow actors' humanitarian efforts and a subtle jab the selfishness and materialism that sometimes accompanies a decision to have children.

Nevertheless, it’s tough to say whether even Shields and a smart campaign can help Volkswagen sell a minivan, in an era when minivan sales are slumping, the economy is weak and gas prices remain high.

Click here to watch one of the ads, or click here to go to the Web site and see the whole campaign.

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

Wow. it must be the fact that i am young and have no children that i actually understand this comment. I have not seen this commercial and probably will never own a VW even though i like them, they smell too much like crayons.

ANYWAYS most of you who are copying and pasting this statement are missing the point...and a few extra words in front of it...

>>>>"parody of her fellow actors' humanitarian efforts"<<< and a subtle jab the selfishness and materialism that sometimes accompanies a decision to have children."

HELLO does brangelina ring a bell? That statement is clearly aimed at the type of >celebrities< that adopt endless amounts of children from all over the world.

SO all of the angry moms need to CHILL OUT it wasn't aimed at you, no one says YOU are selfish and materialistic. But obviously while you are giving every second to your children and "cleaning cheerios up off the carpet" and being worlds number one mommy you somehow find time to get online and complain about an article that's NOT EVEN ABOUT YOU.

Town Crier (Sent Tuesday, October 07, 2008 9:11 AM)

This commercial proves how un-funny she is.....

Amanda, Arizona (Sent Tuesday, October 07, 2008 10:28 AM)

Well here come the sickengly nationalist people parading how they foolishly won't buy an Asian or European car. Do you know how unreliable and crappy American cars are, not to mention only lasts 2 years? I bet you people never even left the country, are you so proud of it now? The rest of the world is infuriated at you goons, and the best you can do is ponder if a VW van is in fact a bloody Chrysler? LMAO.

Salazar Slytherin, Hogwarts, GB (Sent Tuesday, October 07, 2008 2:01 PM)

Sometimes the commercials are more entertaining than the shows in which they are placed; Gal in white "Carnaby Street" (am I dating myself here?)outfit pointing at the ginourmous pro-stock style hood scoop on the "rice burner" asks "What does that do?" - "Mailbu's Most Wanted" replies "It sucks air into the engine" gal replies "Ya, it sucks". Subliminal social commentary? Maybe, but who cares?

Paul J. Orlandi (the Haggard Old man) (Sent Tuesday, October 07, 2008 6:54 PM)

Crispin continues to drop the VW ball at every turn.

James Spiker (Sent Wednesday, October 08, 2008 4:48 PM)

Zowie, you guys are really uptight!  It's a car commercial - all it's doing is getting word of the brand out.  Lighten up a little!

Drew D., Boise, ID (Sent Thursday, October 09, 2008 1:56 PM)

Believe it or not, USA can design and build cars, trucks and SUV's of comparable quality to any nation in the world.  The problem here lies with production costs.  When you have to pay the same idiot $20/hour to spin the same lug nut he's been putting on for the last 20 years (due to his/her own lack of ambition to gain qualifications and accredidations to advance) because of his seniorty in the UAW and have to pay his medical, unemployment, disabiltiy, and FICA insurance, effectively doubling the employers's cost to have him on the job.  How can you possibly expect to be competitive in the global economy where Asians will will do the same job for less than 10% of the daily wage w/out benefits?  All of a sudden shipping costs become negligible as a business expense.  If corporate America (especially in the auto industry)adopts a "move up ot move out" philosphy it will actually create jobs becuase it creates turn over in the work force and a better more motivated work force.  It's called incentive to get better or get fired.

sdnative1964, san diego, ca (Sent Sunday, October 12, 2008 3:38 PM)

Am I the only one that finds this ad disturbing?  The last time the people's car, german engineering, and reproduction were linked together, 8 million people died.  I also don't like a person who suffered from postpartum depression being flip about any link between reproduction and material possessions.

The actual thrust isn't so objectionable, it's simply objectionable that VW and Brooke Shields would use it.  Not much offends me, I am really surprised to hear that these ads are seen so positively.

Justin, Newark, NJ (Sent Tuesday, October 14, 2008 12:03 PM)

I hate these ads, I think they are creepy and weird.

Randall K, St. Louis MO (Sent Tuesday, October 14, 2008 1:20 PM)

"a subtle jab the selfishness and materialism that sometimes accompanies a decision to have children."

Notice the sometimes, dumbnuts.
Like similar to a friend I had. She had a child despite how she could not afford her own house.
Anyhow, Brook Shields is wonderful on the ads.

Sinata (Sent Tuesday, October 14, 2008 2:08 PM)

"Your mom, my mom, their moms" WROTE: Can someone please explain how "selfish" needs in deciding to have children for the "materialistic" aspect translates into spending a total of 21 hours in PAINFUL labor, (SNIPPED)  Yeah. That's super selfish. (end quote)

I think people CHOOSE to have children because THEY want to...so in a way, it IS all about self - yourself and YOUR desire, your choice to have children...that you have to do a heck of a lot for them when they arrive is not the issue (who cares how long YOUR labor was? answer=no one but you-no offence, but really...) Be greatful you were able to HAVE children, many people struggle with fertility problems and would gladly, and happily endure much more than 21 hours of labor to have a child.  I think basically if people make a choice to do something, like having children because they want to, then it is a "selfish" choice.  I don't think that is a bad thing, I think it is quite natural given human biology made to reproduce.  
I most certainly don't think people who choose not to have children are more selfish than those who choose to have children.

I think the as is a smidge amusing, I like Brooke Shields.

Faith Heart (Sent Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:01 AM)

I had a Crappy Honda Minivan.  The transmission went out on it twice before the 30k mile mark.  Yeah those Asians sure build reliability.  You couldn't give me another overrated Japanese brand vehicle.  I won't even ride in one anymore.  

Caleb Gerreto (Sent Wednesday, October 15, 2008 7:51 AM)

To Scott (Ft. Lauderdale): Well said.

Some folks deliberately miss the point.

Dan, Ft. Worth, TX (Sent Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:29 AM)

I love VW commercials. I had a 1958 VW microbus in 1967. I wish I had it back with Brooke Shields in the back so we could play "make a baby game".

RotBaron Nashville TN (Sent Wednesday, October 15, 2008 1:33 PM)

I have to agree that the people commenting on the auto itself (import v. domestic) are missing the point a bit.  

But these spots bug me every time I see them.  The fact is that the car isn't German engineered, it is German TWEAKED.  Aside from status, I have to think that people buy European-brand cars for the way they handle and the attention to detail.  I'll never believe that this car could be as good as one engineered from the ground up by VW.

No matter what you think about Brooke or the Routan (don't even get me started on the name), you have to admit that the ad is disingenuous.  With the Rabbit name change and now this, one must wonder what's gone wrong with VW's marketing!

Rich, LA, CA (Sent Wednesday, October 15, 2008 5:01 PM)

I take offense at the "PUTTING A BABY IN YOUR BELLY FOR GERMAN ENGINEERS"   REMINDS ME OF THE NAZIS IN WWII.   NOT FUNNY!

M.FOWLER - ROCKFORD ILL. (Sent Thursday, October 16, 2008 10:38 PM)

God people it a commercial for petes sake, which is not exactly logical or even factional, its meant to sell a car not make any kind of statement.

Jim, Bean Station ,Tn (Sent Thursday, October 16, 2008 11:55 PM)

I think its halarious!! Reminds us not to take things so seriously, and of course the people who can't take humor wouldn't enjoy this commercial, so stop complaining its a commercial! Brooke Sheilds is great!

Jamie Tampa, FL (Sent Friday, October 17, 2008 12:20 PM)

VW is clearly turning away from the young, hip market that brought them success in the past few decades by turning to an old, skanky has-been like Brooke Shields.  

John, Kansas (Sent Friday, October 17, 2008 4:30 PM)

Cute add but will it realy make you want to buy a rebadged dodge?  Same exact powertrain, stiffer ride is all. Best part is you can pay quite a bit more mone for it and get a much shorter warranty than the same thing in a Chrysler!!!

Douglas , NJ (Sent Sunday, October 19, 2008 7:35 PM)

Is nobody else discomforted by the idea of having babies just to support German engineering.  Wasn't Hitler trying to "engineer" an entire race?  I really find the series of commercials to be terribly insensitive and freakish.

Jeff Butterfield (Sent Monday, October 20, 2008 9:23 PM)

Sorry, but these commercials for VW with Brooke Shields, are NOT funny at all.
They are quite possibly the most annoying series of commercials airing currently.
The way Brooke talks very snidely to the parents, ignores every word they say, tells them they are in denial etc etc, is seriously off putting, it's rude.

If VW was targeting the very rude, snobby, and greedy segment of the population, they succeeded, but the rest of us, can't stand these commercials and either change the channel the second they start, or leave the room to use the bathroom.  

Kat C. Sarasota, Florida (Sent Friday, October 24, 2008 9:48 AM)

I have seen this ad a number of times ever since it was first showcased.  In fact, I bookmarked the page and have played it daily to try and appreciate all the effort it took to produce.

Brooke Shields remains the focal point of the commercial, unfortunately, with here alluring attire and the manner in which she sashays about in clothing that draws your attention to her body and not her outerware, let alone the car.  She is a bit too serious and militant against the other people in the ad and they seem exasperated with her matter-of-fact delivery that leaves no room for discussion.  I do not see how this could possibly be effective for VW, but I am expecting to suddenly "see" more of Brooke in the near future.  Is she about to make a comeback of sorts as this ad would be the perfect springboard for her?  Good luck to her, but she never impressed me very much, though I will say that she has always been real and frank and gone through a lot of hard luck in life.

The commercial is much too colourless and focuses on Brooke intensely.

Paul V. Battaglia (Sent Friday, October 24, 2008 1:39 PM)

Does anyone get images of Hitler when we are told about German engineering of kids????

WF - TO, CA, (Sent Sunday, October 26, 2008 2:50 AM)

I have a fertility problem.  I guess I'll just have to drive a Lotus Elise or a Corvette.

Poor me. :)

K (Sent Tuesday, October 28, 2008 12:36 AM)

funny ad

awful cars

does anyone who research customer satisfaction actually by a VW ????

mike (Sent Tuesday, October 28, 2008 11:31 AM)

You guys are missing something kind of important. A short time ago, there was an effort by a German car company (probably VW) to push ads that stressed 'German in da house' in a heavy Germanic accent. Apparently this didn't sell well. So now they have a beautiful American woman talking about how other women are getting pregnant just to get German engineering. Why is this not funny? For those of you of short memories (or extreme youth): one of the truly frightening efforts during WW II, by the German Reich, was an effort to create a 'superman'. There was a full scale process underway to 'breed' a 'pure' Aryan person. So, for those who remember that era, this commercial sends chills down the spine. Whoever got Brooke Shields this commercial is not doing her a favor.

Constant Reader, Lake Mary, Florida (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 1:34 AM)

I despise this add campaign with all my soul.  Women on this planet need to wake up.  When we tolerate and laugh at sarcastic jokes like this it belittles our case for being treated equally.  Because women and babies always go together - and NO THEY DON'T.  My gender does not automatically give me a "maternal" instinct.  We cannot advance to equality until we stop letting this garbage tell us that women = babies.  This commercial makes me want to smash my television.  Television has not been worth watching lately, and this doesn't make it better.

sick of the foolish masses allowing themselves to be brainwashed. (Sent Tuesday, November 11, 2008 9:45 AM)

Brooke Shields is a plastic amazon way past her prime!  VW sucks and all the people that own them are stuck on themselves.  What's the difference between a VW and a porcupine?  The porcupine has pricks on the outside!

Mazda Man! (Sent Tuesday, November 11, 2008 10:37 AM)

I think these adds are historically disturbing. If I'm bludgeoned with German engineering, pregnancy, a single voice dictating behavior on another I think of Nazi Germany. VW is selling pregnancy as the ends to owning a car. I'm waiting for the next pregnant woman to be carrying twins.

Michael, Los Angeles CA (Sent Tuesday, November 11, 2008 6:08 PM)

Ah, well all children breathe air thus expelling carbon dioxide which depletes the ozone layer and explains the global warming thing...Brooke is just saving the world (buy a Fiat).

Bill the Scribe, OK (Sent Wednesday, November 12, 2008 11:17 PM)

Some of you are taking this ad far too seriously.  It's a satirical look at why people buy minivans.  Beautiful, exquisite Brooke is saying that some people have children just to buy a minivan.  GET IT?
Maybe not.....

Ed Neinabor (Sent Monday, November 17, 2008 11:37 PM)

Dear TV and cable networks,

I hate this commercial.  I really hate this commercial.  It's elitist and not funny in the least.  When it comes on the air, I change the channel.  Please let this campaign die the death it deserves.

Dear VW,

I actually like the Routan.  However, since my policy is to boycott products with bad commercials, I hope I'm not ready to buy my upcoming minivan/SUV before you put this campaign out of my misery.

J Jones, Dallas, TX (Sent Tuesday, November 18, 2008 8:30 AM)

I love Brooke Shields.  I didn't always.  But her talent for deadpan humor has won me over completely.  

And this ad campaign makes me want to shop for a Routan with her...for all the wrong reasons :)

Matt, College Park, MD (Sent Tuesday, November 18, 2008 5:11 PM)

We bought our Toyota Sienna in 2001 when our Buick 4-door sedan finally died.  At the time, SUVs were all the rage, but the minivans had better gas milage and safety records.  In fact, we ended up buying the Toyota over a US brand because the US Manufacturers had STILL (at that time anyway) not made all the safety features standard.  Toyota Sienna and Honda Odessey had the best crash test ratings - the US minivans didn't come close.  Also, after hurting my back delivering my son, the "step in" height for getting the baby carrier in the car was a HUGE reason not to get another station wagon or sedan (which we did compare).  In our case, the minivan made more sense from a safety, gas milage, and ergonomic perspective; and we expected we would make full use of the cargo capacity as our children grew (and we do - I can't imagine fitting all the stuff in the trunk of a sedan). I would have preferred to buy American back in 2001, but not at the expense of safety and mileage.  American manufactures need to start leading the way on this and not trying to fight safety and mileage standards as they have so often in the past.  The Toyota is till running strong, and we will run it into the ground as we did with our previous autos.  When that day finally comes, we hope US Manufacturers have a safe, efficient, green alternative available for us.  

Heather, RI (Sent Wednesday, November 19, 2008 10:01 AM)

Who doesn't love Brooke Shields. And for those of you who took this opportunity to lament the quality of American cars, support your views on abortion, or to whine about materialism, stuff it. Can't you just enjoy life for a moment?

Woot! Seattle, WA (Sent Wednesday, November 19, 2008 11:13 AM)

The first time I heard this commercial, I couldn't believe that anyone would put references to "German Engineering" and "having babies" in their own commercial.  Doesn't anyone remember the Nazis?  I still can't believe there has been no backlash about that association -- probably another example of the quality of education in the US for the last 25 years.

Southern Baby Boomer, Nashville, TN (Sent Friday, November 21, 2008 12:48 PM)

After posting then trying to re-scroll to the bottom I discovered that I had not read through to the bottom in the first place.  Several others had noted the Nazi-like aspect.  But I still wonder if everyone else who had noted that is older than 55 like me.

Southern Baby Boomer, Nashville, TN (Sent Friday, November 21, 2008 12:55 PM)

I didn't get this ad the first time I saw it. It seemed to be making light of a horrifying time in world history with one of its most bizarre plans - the encouragement of any German soldier to inseminate Arian woman in order to procreate an "ubermensch" society of warrior 'gods' bent on destroying anything not them. Did anyone else get this from this ad or was it just me?

Anyway, I don't hear the ad-babble anymore - I just find myself staring at Shields wrapped in her clinging white knit imagining what she'd look like back in the Blue Lagoon now.

Robert in Arizona (Sent Sunday, November 23, 2008 11:09 AM)

Am I the only one who sees the connection between these ads and Hitlers' "master race"?  I mean come on!  People are having babies to get German engineering?!?  I don't like the weird connection or the deadpan and now that I know it's a rebranded Chrysler product I'm even more disturbed.  At least I'm not surprised.

Dane P., Tucson , AZ (Sent Tuesday, November 25, 2008 6:30 PM)

They air these were I live and I thought they were very funny. The only thing that suprises me is the fact that I see from these comments some people don't realize it's just a joke.

Nathan Young, Billings, Mont. (Sent Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:16 PM)

And no one made the connection between babies and german engineering?  Holy shades of aryan race and eugenics. The inference was blatant.

T.E. Hadava (Sent Friday, November 28, 2008 2:42 AM)

As someone going through infertility treatments, I loathe these commercials.  They treat having a baby so callously.  SOME of us don't get to just pop out babies, and if we did, it wouldn't be for your stupid car.

Emily, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 5:14 PM)

One of the funniest ads on TV.  Laugh every time I see it.  Way to go Brooke and ad company.

Lisa, VA (Sent Tuesday, December 02, 2008 9:20 PM)

I find this particular ad extremely offensive.  Especially when you consider that Ms. Shields was a spokeswoman for RESOLVE - the National Infertility Awareness Organization.  My - and many others - estimation of the woman went way down once she did these commercials.

They are classless and offensive.

MLO (Sent Sunday, December 07, 2008 12:19 AM)

Brooke....more leg

reddog (Sent Monday, December 08, 2008 4:31 PM)

I believe this article is about commercials--not VWs, not children, families, or minivans...

This series of commercials is very funny, Brooke Shields is very good at the deadpan delivery, very clever commercials all around.  And very effective--everyone knows the product being advertised, which is what a commercial is supposed to do--bring the product into the forefront of as many people's minds as possible.

Joni, Indiana (Sent Wednesday, December 17, 2008 12:47 PM)

Great Ads!  Crappy vehicles those VDubs...

JM Phila, PA (Sent Monday, March 09, 2009 2:25 PM)

Oh. And to Macy in Manchester:
Saturn Corp has never, ever, ever in their entire existence EVER made a dime for GM.  They, like Saab has been a drain on the cash reserves of GM. It's time to shoot the horse.

JM Phila PA (Sent Monday, March 09, 2009 2:27 PM)

TO: Your mom, my mom, their moms
Maybe you should lighten up a bit so your kids don't wind up on drugs, or killing themselves due to your stupidity and intrusiveness.

JM Phila. PA (Sent Monday, March 09, 2009 2:28 PM)



SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

Your name, city and state (John Doe, Seattle, Wash.): 

 Your e-mail address (jdoe@msnbc.com):

Your website (it's okay if you don't have one):

Remember me? (We'll keep it private)