VDub

The VDub advertising campaign was launched by Volkswagen in 2006 for the GTI model. Parodying MTV's *Pimp My Ride*, the campaign featured three television commercials directed by Jonas Åkerlund and produced by Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The ads starred Swedish actor Peter Stormare as Wolfgang, an effete German engineer, and German model Zonja Wöstendiek as his assistant, Miss Helga. Each commercial showcased contestants with heavily modified cars (Mitsubishi Eclipse, Ford Focus, and Honda Civic), which were then destroyed in dramatic fashion using a trebuchet, shipping container, or wrecking ball. The destruction was followed by the presentation of a new Volkswagen GTI, described as "pre-tuned by German engineers." Wolfgang used exaggerated hip-hop gestures for comedic effect.

The campaign gained viral popularity when the ads were uploaded to YouTube in February 2006, amassing over two million views by early March and over 10 million within three years. To engage audiences further, Volkswagen created a MySpace page for Miss Helga and an interactive website (volkswagenfeatures.com) where users could "test drive" the GTI while watching her demonstrate features. The campaign also utilized social media innovatively, marking one of the first instances of a company using these platforms to connect with customers.