Our social video starts with three horses on a field almost dying of laughter. To their great amusement a man is desperately trying to back a horsebox trailer into a parking spot. The more he fails the more horses start laughing. While the horses are trying to catch their breath another car with a horsebox trailer arrives: the Tiguan. With the help of the Trailer Assist feature this driver steers the trailer directly into the parking space. Leaving the horses completely speech- or rather, laughless.

Making horses laugh is about as easy as steering a trailer bakwards into a parking spot. Or to be precise: have you ever seen a horse laugh? No. You can tell them the funniest jokes – horses just don’t laugh. So apart from good actors we needed well-trained, real horses. Animals that would shake by command and wallow happily on grass. Additionally, we needed the latest visual effects. 80% of the horses’ heads were created by 3D technology – but had to fit the real horse scenes perfectly. Lastly, we needed to cast professional voice-over actors. Their laughter – as the most important part of sound design – had to match appearance, characteristic, and expression of each respective horse.

The laughing horses turned from a regular sales spot into Volkswagen Germany’s most successful viral of all times. Gaining 9 million clicks within the first 72 hours alone. And overall more than 40 million views, 291.000 shares, and 69.000 likes. Thus, it comes as no surprise that global Volkswagen markets are now adapting the spot for TV, exhibitions, and major events. Who can resist laughing four-legged friends.