Sweden is one of Europe’s longest countries, and 40% of Swedes question if electric cars really have the necessary range. So, the brief was to get through with the fact that the batteries of an electric car from Volkswagen can store an amazing amount of energy. We also needed to connect to a younger audience. The objective was to increase interest in Volkswagen’s electric cars, and charge the Volkswagen brand.

Prove to a nation of sceptics that the power of electric cars really goes a long way – it’s enough even to power a music video production.

The obvious choice was the 90’s electro/dance hit “Electric”. The energetic beat fits perfectly and the lyrics seems like they were written for the e-Golf, with lines like “When I turn my power on, I will go electric” and “Electric power, let’s get electric”.

In a category where most brands look and talk very much the same when it comes to electric cars, we wanted to talk range and capacity in a different way that connects electric with Volkswagen in an inspirational, emotional way. The strategy was to use the power of popular culture to show the power of Volkswagen´s electric cars.

We wanted to do a modern take on the classic Leila K 90’s hit “Electric”. We asked Rein – an up and coming electro/dance artist and songwriter with a strong personality and unique style – to make her version in collaboration with producer Joakim Åhlund. The music video production was then powered by one charge of the batteries in an e-Golf.

The track and the music video were released February 1st 2019. The campaign supporting the introduction ran for three weeks. The music video was used in full length as a TV-commercial together with some cut-downs, and released on Youtube, Spotify and other platforms, as well as social media platforms. We also used other media known from the entertainment business – for example, the track was put onto a vinyl-record we then sent to music critics, journalists, radio channels and DJs.

To date, over a million people has seen the “Electric” video on Youtube (in February, “Electric” was the Youtube branded video in Sweden that generated most interaction in Sweden). The number of visits to Volkswagen Sweden’s web site rose by 40%, the interest in Volkswagen’s electric cars rose from 25% to 32%, and the number of visitors using the electric car configurator on the website reached all-time high. On Spotify, it’s Rein’s second most played song ever. And it was talked about in the sofas of TV shows.

AdWeek wrote: Volkswagen Powered an Entire Music Video With an Electric Car Battery, and Fans Were Into It.

And comments on Youtube said things like:

“The first time I really appreciated an advertising break.”

“Thanks for advertising you actually look forward to.”

“The most obvious advertising idea ever… Unbelievable it would take 24 years before anyone did it.”