44/54 – Build-a-Car

Directive: Grab Attention

Volkswagen is a company that focuses on human-driven design. Volkswagen is the people’s car… so shouldn’t their customers have more of a say in what they want? If Volkswagen created a campaign on physically bringing together their customers with their technology, what would happen? Imagine a guerilla-style interactive exhibition in the streets of major cities. The set up would be fast and in an area with heavy foot traffic. With banners, touch screens, music, and excited workers, there would be an instant buzz of curiosity among the crowd.

Anyone could come participate, learn about Volkswagen’s technology, and, best of all, create their own car on a huge touch screen. As they go through the process of picking out parts, there’s an short, easy to understand, explanation of the engineering behind each one. As they build their car, there will be prompts based on the concerns of the builder (environmental impact, handling, space, comfort, and speed). After building the body, they would then be able to choose specific special features they would like to see in their cars. Once finished, the car would appear as a hologram with all of the car’s information & stats.

Not only is this a fun way for people to learn & interact with Volkswagen, but it also gives Volkswagen an idea of what people want from their cars. Volkswagen could then take some of the best designs and actually make them, name the cars after the people who designed them, and then give them away to the designer. This would be a cool way to grab the attention of many people by engaging them to interact with the brand. All of this could be web content or even a commercial which would focus on Volkswagen’s engineering abilities, as well as their ability to create a pleasurable driving experience.

43/54 – Engineer Fuel

Directive: Grow the Brand

It’s the morning and you’re on your way to work. You were up late last night putting the finishing touches on your big presentation that you’ll be giving in just a few hours. You have some time before you need to get into work, so you stop off at VW Coffee. When you walk inside, you notice the decor has an industrial feel to it. The space is sleek and modern, while still maintaining a warm feel to it. There’s math equations on the wall and gears/parts re-imagined into shop fixtures. As you approach the bar, you watch the elaborate machine that’s been created to show every process that goes into making the coffee. After carefully consider the menu, you decide to order the house’s special blend called “Engineer Fuel”. The barista smiles and says, “Good choice!” You watch the gears of the coffee machine roll around, following them to the end of the counter, where your piping hot coffee spurts out. Before you’re able to take a sip of your coffee, you notice the cup. It’s simply designed with the Volkswagen logo in black centered at the top and a paragraph that runs down the remainder of the cup. It reads:

“Our engineers focus on two things, innovative technology & people. Without people, innovative technology is, simply put, not innovative. People are at the heart of everything we do. We look to engineer cars that go above and beyond getting the job done. Our customers deserve the very best. That’s why we decided to engineer something other than cars — the perfect cup of coffee. Coffee is the lifeblood of many of our engineers as they are extremely diligent and hard workers; they work until the work is done. As a side project, one of our engineers created her own blend of coffee and named it Engineer Fuel. It was an instant hit among her colleagues and the blend eventually worked its way up to our CEO, Martin Wintercorn. The moment he tasted it, he knew it must be shared with the world. He knew that all people, no matter what car they drive, deserve at least a taste of Volkswagen engineering perfection.”

Once you get around to taking a sip of your coffee, you swoon. You can’t believe it, this may actually be the best coffee you’ve ever had. You decide to sit in the cafe and relax, while you finish your coffee. You sit by the community board where you see there are listings for classes held after hours. Once a month an actual Volkswagen engineer comes in to teach classes on engineering. Interested, you snap a picture of the schedule with your phone to keep for later. When you walk out of VW Coffee you feel re-energized and inspired.

42/54 – Master of the Craft

Directive: Think Hard. Write Fast.

Rembrandt, Beethoven, Meryl Streep, Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, and Steven Spielberg, what do these people all have in common you may ask? They’re all masters of their craft. Just like these well-known individuals, there are many other people who are less recognized, but masters of their crafts as well. German engineers at Volkswagen are the perfect example. After many decades of work, these individuals have perfected their craft. Each generation of engineers redefines what a master is. If you want a masterpiece, drive a Volkswagen.

41/54 – The Lone VW

Directive: Think Hard. Write Fast.

People always talk about technology being the new frontier. Each new innovation forges the path for the next big thing to come along. Forging the path for the auto industry all by itself, Volkswagen is the lone ranger. When VW crosses paths with the competition it always wins the shoot out. VW stands up for what it believes in. VW fights for smart design and enjoyable driving. It leads the frontier and explores uncharted territory. VW believes innovation is for everyone, not just the rich and privileged. VW never forgets where it came from, but alway keeps its headlights on the horizon. Everyone watches and waits with baited breath to see where VW is going to go next. They wonder where it will be taken, what unknown land will it travel to? VW always keeps them guessing.

 

40/54 – Think Tank

Directive: Think Hard. Write Fast.

The time that I spend driving is time for me to think. I think about everything, what I’m going to do for the day, what happened last night, what I want for the future, and I think about new ideas. The longer the drive, the farther I get from everyday thoughts and time more I move into new, uncharted territory. I think most people can relate to this. When you have time alone, you tend to turn inward and reflect.

This got me thinking, what do Volkswagen’s engineer’s think about on their daily commutes? Do they think about what they’re going to have for lunch? Maybe they’ll think about the weather or perhaps they’ll ponder on something deeper. Maybe when they’re driving they’ll notice little details about how their car drives and operates, how others on the road drive, or how they feel when they’re driving. They might notice a small problem and create a solution. Their car becomes a think tank for useful and intuitive design ideas.

Volkswagen cares about the people who drive their cars and they want to make cars that are innovative. Innovation is defined by not only technological advances, but also the usefulness of the design to the user. When the engineer is literally in the seat of the customer, big things can happen. I like to think that Volkswagen is more hands on in their approach compared to the other car companies. They get their ideas from the cars, from their customers; they listen. They innovate intuitively and with purpose.

39/54 – The People’s Car

Directive: Think Hard & Write Fast

When I wrote, I wrote about how I feel when I drive. It’s weird, after reading back over what I wrote, I realized that I have a strong emotional connection with driving. Continuing to mull it over in my brain, I thought, maybe it isn’t that strange. When I was at home, I used my car every single day, often times I would drive for over an hour each day, and I know this is the case for many people. Some themes that I found in my writing were freedom, reflection, adventure, and hope.

“When I get in my car, I’m in control”

“My windows are down, my music is loud, the sun is warm, and I am free”

“I feel like driving gives me clarity”

“It’s like the friend that’s always there to listen. It’s advice; keep your eyes on the road ahead”

When I think about what I wrote in correlation with Volkswagen, I start to wonder how VW drivers feel when they drive. Volkswagen is a car of the people and for the people. People are at its heart. This got me thinking, what if Volkswagen did confessional style videos, where their drivers talked about their Volkswagen driving experience. In the video, the subject would be unknown, and it would later be revealed that they were talking about their cars. For myself, I know it would seem like I was talking about a person or some life-changing event that’s happened to me, when in actuality I’m just talking about my car. It’s so interesting and amazing (also kind of scary), the level of attachment we can possess for an object. Cars just become so integrated into your lifestyle that it’s hard not to get attached. People love their cars. I mean they give their cars names, are laughably meticulous about keeping their cars immaculate, and some even feel romantic feelings towards their cars(okay that may just be one person on My Strange Addictions, but he exists and I think we should acknowledge it). People care about their cars and Volkswagen cares about the people that drive their cars.

Volkswagen could even open it up to everyone. People could send in their videos and Volkswagen could make one big, collaborative, video, the kind of video that makes you want to get in your car, drive off to no where in particular, and not come back for 6 months. It would be a video that inspires, but also a video that shows Volkswagen cares. They want to know how you feel. Their engineers are listening; Volkswagen is listening.

 

 

38/54 – Feel the Road. Feel the Beat.

Directive: None

Engineering a car is a lot like conducting an orchestra. Every single part, and every person, plays an important role. Even the bells and whistles are important. When you’re missing one gear or one violinist, the final outcome doesn’t hit quite the right notes. The hum of the engine, the sound of the acceleration revving, gravel creating underneath the tires, the windows rolling down, and the sound of wind whooshing past, none of this can be achieved without all parts working simultaneously together. Just like the conductor pours his heart into the music, bringing together all of the sounds to create a beautiful symphony for everyone to hear, the engineer puts everything he has into creating a car that people will enjoy driving. Both music and car engineering are technical, but they’re also human, they have empathy. The conductor orchestrates the sound, but he also orchestrates the feelings that are felt by the audience. The engineer orchestrates the operations of the vehicle, but he also has a hand in the pleasure that comes from driving a Volkswagen car. Music and engineering on the surface seem very different, but with the Volkswagen brand, artistry is at its core. As a campaign, there are so many interesting things that Volkswagen could do to combine music and engineering. An orchestra of car parts playing Beethoven. Musicians finding ways to use their cars as instruments. Live concerts in a Volkswagen Beetle. It’s the perfect marriage of science & art.

37/54 – Healthy Car

Directive: None

Technology is becoming more and more intuitive. At this point we’ve ingrained it into almost every aspect of our lives. Technology eases the friction life creates and makes things easier. Our cars aleviate the friction of needing to be at a place that isn’t close. Since its creation, we’ve continued to improve upon the design, removing frictions, with seat belts, radio, air bags, automatic windows, and AC/heat. What if we took the design a step further and added features with your health in mind?

The healthy car monitors your heart rate as you drive, measures your weight, makes suggestions for your safety, checks your alertness before driving, makes suggestions for healthy food stops & recipes, and all of this syncs with mobile apps/fitness bands. The safety suggestions would be based on information from your fitness band and other mobile apps that monitor your health. They could be anything between telling you that you’re too tired to drive and letting you know if you’re missing essential nutrients for the day. For those looking to lead a lifestyle with their health at the forefront, the healthy car would integrate perfectly.

Volkswagen would be the perfect company to come out with healthy model cars. Their focus is on the design of the car and how it relates to the driver. The healthy car would further integrate the Volkswagen brand into the driver’s life.

36/54 – Which Volkswagen Are You?

Directive: None

Every Volkswagen driver is unique. VW cars are the cars of the people, so naturally the people who drive Volkswagens are extremely diverse. Following in the trend of Buzzfeed style quizzes, I’ve created a quiz to help prospective Volkswagen buyers find the car that best fits their personality.

Follow the link to take the quiz:

https://www.tryinteract.com/quiz/bridgetg/1

35/54 – The VW Club

Directive: None

Something that’s been mentioned a few times in class is that there is a special kind of camaraderie between Volkswagen drivers. There are Volkswagen groups within different communities where the members meet up, talk about their cars, and give each other maintenance tips. What if there was a way for VW drivers to connect more easily? An app would allow drivers to come together in a new way. This app would allow for sharing and interacting between Volkswagen drivers around the world.  The app could include forums (users can talk about anything — great places to drive to, car questions, or maybe plan meet-ups), a rate-my-car feature (users could upload pictures of their own cars and rate other’s cars), and a location setting (when turned on, this setting will allow users to see when a Volkswagen is near). The location setting would not only allow users to interact with other VW drivers in their area, but also to let drivers send messages to passing cars. Imagine seeing a sunshine yellow Type II drive down the street and being able to send a compliment to the driver. The Volkswagen community is strong and filled with people who are passionate about their cars, creating an app tailored to their lifestyle would help globalize that community.