This madness is getting old

After spending weeks on a script for a commercial and toiling over the smallest details, it can get really disheartening to see a competitor's successful TV spot involve nothing more than a few bags of skittles and two man-headed sheep. Why do I spend hours crafting the perfect line of copy or the most convincing visual, while consumer trends could flip a switch without warning and turn advertising as we know it on its head?

In an ad that brilliantly contains both the spontaneous and the intuitive, VW depicts one of their cars lasting the test of time. Two joggers are shown preparing for their morning run, edited to take place over the course of many years.

Even more challenging for me as a viewer is my need to read the subtitles while watching the two joggers age quickly over the course of the ad. When I watched it the first time, I only caught the last few pieces of dialogue. I was able to grasp the concept well enough – but I was very intrigued by what I had missed and proceeded to watch the spot again until I heard every line. The copywriting is brilliant across the spot and the visuals are strong enough to keep consumers aware of the story without their full attention.

Props to VW for some quality ad work in a world where stumbling your way to the top sometimes involves a touch of insanity and a dash of bad taste.