The Force (advertisement)

The Force is a television advertisement created by Donny Deutsch Advertising Inc. (Deutsch Inc.) to promote Volkswagen's Passat.

The Force
AgencyDeutsch
ClientVolkswagen
LanguageEnglish
Running time1:02
Product
Release date(s)February 6, 2011
Music byJohn Williams
Starring
  • Max Page, Kovar McClure
Production
company		Lucasfilm[1]
CountryUnited States

Commercial

Volkswagen had not aired a commercial during the Super Bowl in more than 10 years, but in 2011, the company ran two ads, both from advertising agency Deutsch. The other was called "Black Beetle".[2]

The advertisement for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat, created by Eric Springer, Michael Kadin, Ryan Mclaughlin, Craig Melchiano and David Povill at Deutsch, features a young boy (played by Max Page) in full Darth Vader regalia attempting to use the Force to start a washing machine and a clothes dryer, and to wake the dog and a doll. After he is unsuccessful in those attempts, he is startled to discover that he can start the car, though his father actually does it using a remote control.[3]

The film was directed by Lance Acord and produced by Park Pictures featuring the musical track "Imperial March" composed by John Williams.[4][5]

Actor
Max Page
Born
Maxwell James Page

2005
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActor
EmployerVolkswagen
Known for
Parents
  • Buck[6] (father)
  • Jennifer[6] (mother)
RelativesEllison[6] (brother)

Max Page had never seen any of the Star Wars movies, saying he was too scared.[3] He met James Earl Jones, the voice of Vader in the Star Wars movies, in New York City[7] on February 7.[8] On May 24, Page appeared in costume, with the Star Wars Darth Vader music playing, at the inauguration of the Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant.[9]

In addition, Page played Reed Hellstrom on the American TV soap opera The Young and the Restless, appeared in local commercials, and had acted "since he was barely able to walk".[10]

Kovar McClure, an American-born actor, plays the father in the spot.

Health

When he was three months old, Page had life-saving surgery, and soon after that received a pacemaker to treat a heart disorder called Tetralogy of Fallot.[10] Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) cardiology chief Michael Silka said, "He can essentially have normal activity and with careful care, a full life is a reasonable expectation."[3] Page, at age 7, had another corrective open-heart surgery at CHLA on June 14, 2012. He received a valve expected to last 15 years.[11]

Kovar McClure
Born
Denny Kovar McClure[12]

(1972-07-21) July 21, 1972[12]
Winkler County, Texas, US[12]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materState University of New York at Purchase[12]
OccupationActor, writer, director[12]
Years active1999 – present
Known for
  • Devil's Courier
Spouse(s)Joo Silvia[12]

Reception

The Passat ad appeared on YouTube the week before its TV debut on February 6, 2011. By the next morning, the video had received one million views; the number reached 8 million before the commercial aired on TV.[10] Considered by everyone connected with the ad to be the best version but "too long to play during the game",[2] the online version lasted sixty seconds, compared to thirty in the broadcast version, and the long version stood out more in people's minds.[13] As of February 7, the video had more than 15 million views. Page's mother, Jennifer, said the reaction was "overwhelming. ... I can't even keep up with the messages and the calls."[3]

James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times said the ad "will get inside people's heads and stay there because it combines the iconic 'Star Wars' character and a classic sentiment—a child's desire to be larger than life."[14] Of all the Super Bowl ads, Rainey said, "the one you'll actually want to see again is Volkswagen's, powered by the force of a tiny Darth Vader who tells a simple story, with a little body language and nary a word."[14]

Stuart Elliott of The New York Times enjoyed the ad, calling it a "loving spot-on tribute to Star Wars."[15] CNBC's Phil LeBeau said that the commercial was "clever, original" and "left a strong lasting impression."[16] According to USA Today the commercial was posted online 5 days before the Super Bowl and had already garnered 13 million views by the time the game aired.[17] It also scored number 3 on the USA Today Ad Meter.[18]

On May 23, the Passat ad won an online competition on the CBS special Clash of the Commercials: USA vs. the World,[19][20] in which people were asked to "choose the greatest commercial of all time."[19] The second-place finisher was Heineken's "Walk-in Fridge".[21]

By the end of 2011, Advertising Age said, "With 600 placements, the video is on pace to become one of the most-watched viral ads of all time."[22] In its first year the ad had over 49.4 million views.[18] The video is also the most shared ad of all-time.[23]

As of August 2014, the Passat ad had 5,254,667 shares on social media when it was surpassed after 41 months as the most shared ad by "La La La (Brazil 2014)" for Activia.[24] It remained in second place and was still the most viewed Super Bowl ad as of January 2015, when it had 61 million views.[2]

The success of the Passat ad is considered to have changed how Super Bowl advertising is viewed. Instead of a single ad, businesses look at an entire campaign which involves previews before the game and the use of social media.[2]

References
  1. Lombardi, Candace (January 26, 2011). "VW partners with Lucasfilm for Super Bowl ad". CNET.
  2. Sanburn, Josh (January 30, 2015). "The Ad That Changed Super Bowl Commercials Forever". Time. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  3. Sheridan, Michael (February 7, 2011). "Unmasked! Darth Vader commercial's 6-year-old boy, Max Page, becomes Super Bowl XLV star". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  4. "Volkswagen: The Force". Ads of the World. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  5. "Lance Acord". Park Pictures. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  6. "Max Page: The Boy Behind Darth Vader's Mask". Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
  7. "Mini Darth Vader meets James Earl Jones". KABC-TV. February 7, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  8. Lopez, Johnny (February 8, 2011). "When Lil' Darth Vader Met Darth Vader". TMZ.com. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  9. Woodyard, Chris (May 24, 2011). "Pint-sized Darth Vader blesses Volkswagen's U.S. factory". USA Today. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  10. Inbar, Michael (February 7, 2011). "'Little Darth Vader' reveals face behind the Force". NBC News. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  11. "Boy behind mask in Darth Vader car ad has surgery". CBS News. June 15, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  12. Kovan McClure – IMDb. IMDb.
  13. "10 Ads Creativity Loved," Advertising Age, December 12, 2011, p. 12.
  14. Rainey, James (February 5, 2011). "Super Bowl ad winner: Darth Vader and Volkswagen". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  15. Elliott, Stuart (February 6, 2011). "Super Bowl Ads Mine Decades of Americana". The New York Times.
  16. LeBeau, Phil (February 4, 2011). "VW Uses 'The Force' to Score Super Bowl Winner". CNBC.
  17. Horovitz, Bruce (February 8, 2011). "Super Bowl ads win with social-media play". USA Today.
  18. Anderson, Mae (February 3, 2012). "A year later, looking at Super Bowl ads that kept scoring". News & Record. Associated Press. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  19. "Clash of the Commercials: USA vs. the World". cbs.com. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  20. Medich, Rob (May 23, 2011). "Clash of the :30 Titans". adweek.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  21. "Heineken's 'Walk-in fridge' 2nd best spot ever". May 24, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  22. "Top 10 Viral Campaigns," Advertising Age, December 12, 2011, p. 16.
  23. "Super Bowl XLVII: An Event of Epic Proportions". National Football League. January 25, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  24. Nudd, Tim (August 5, 2014). "See the Ad That Just Eclipsed Volkswagen's 'The Force' as the Most Shared Ever Activia ends Darth's three-year run". AdWeek. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
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