Launching a car like the new Volkswagen Golf GTI in 2009 is not an easy job to do. The competition is stronger than ever – and there is the biggest crises in decades which makes especially automotive brands maintain low profile and talk about responsibility.But we found an approach to commune the new GTI as a responsible and irreistibly powerful driving machine at the same time.

In the car country no. 1, where everybody over 18 is allowed to drive a car, the country of the Autobahn without speed limit, we are creating something that nobody else dared to do: The new Golf GTI will be sold with an age limit:From 21 years.Because this car can only be handled by really good drivers.

First of all and a couple of days before any classical advertising meassure we spread the message via the biggest Newspapers and Newsstations. Then we started a massive Campaign with a TV commercial (starring the most poular german Hip Hop bandleader SMUDO who is also semi professional race driver), blow ups, poster and of course print ads.An interactive microsite was launched, where visitors couls show their skills in a test drive.

Every single media was added with a big red warning advice 'Only from 21'.

Additionally we created a handbook for co-drivers and a special drivers license test for GTI drivers.Not to forget Volkswagens driving academy which everybody was offered to visit for free, who is younger that 21.

The Golf GTI was the most successful launch in ist class in 2009. And the most reliable indicator for the attention a new car gets – the number of test drive applications – was three times as high as in compareable launches. In addition to these dates, the campaign started a huge debate about responsibility of carmakers – and so created a massive press an blog coverage for free.