Admittedly, Volkswagen’s advertising agency had some pretty big shoes to fill with its 2012 Super Bowl ad after last year’s game day commercial “The Force”, which has since garnered some 50 million views on the company’s own YouTube channel alone, but we’re not so sure it has succeeded with the “The Dog Strikes Back”.
The German company aired today the extended 75-second long spot online with the 60-second version of the ad running in the second quarter of the Big Game on February 5.
In the first part of “The Dog Strikes Back“, the ad shows a dog named Bolt who wants to get into shape to be able to get out of the house and chase a 2012 VW Beetle, while in the second part that lasts 15 seconds we’re taken to the Cantina introduced in Star Wars Episode IV, with Darth Vader making a special appearance.
“This year’s commercial will build on Volkswagen’s ability to tell human stories simply while continuing to build on the brand’s momentum in the year ahead,” said Tim Mahoney, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Volkswagen of America.
Watch the extended version of the ad after the break.
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