In 2011, a record 111m watched the Super Bowl and its 56 commercials. But only one commercial became an instant classic: Volkswagen’s 'The Force' with a mini-Darth Vader. Number one in nine major polls, number one viewed online worldwide, and over $89m in earned media.

For the 2012 Super Bowl, everybody was asking: How do you top that?

The decision: A nod to Star Wars, but not an expected sequel. The Dog Strikes Back tells the story of an overweight dog who gets himself in Beetle-chasing shape. followed by an acknowledgement of the anticipated question – Which was better? The kid or the dog? The spot features the debate in the coolest sports bar in the world, the Star Wars cantina.

To raise pre-game curiosity, The Bark Side aired a chorus of dogs performing The Imperial March. The result? In many measures, 2012 did top 2011.

Because last year’s spot was so influential and beloved, we wanted to make sure to reference it while still moving forward. We needed to create buzz and anticipation for our new spot, but we didn't want to simply pre-release the long version as we did before. So we borrowed from last year’s audience of faithful Star Wars fans and added the other most loyal audience to it: dog lovers. Combine those two things and you get a howling good rendition of the famous Imperial March, affectionately titled 'The Bark Side'.

Preliminary numbers on popularity and reach are excellent. The Bark Side reached 14.9m YouTube views within the first month. The Dog Strikes Back, after 2 weeks, reached 12.1m. Combined, they double the views of the next leading automotive competitor. The Dog Strikes Back was number 1 on 3 of the top 9 rating sites, and is in the top 10 of 10 other lists. Search activity for VW spiked 50% after the game. Media coverage after the game garnered VW an impressive 2bn impressions. Compared to 2011’s The Force, visits to vw.com created by the 2012 effort are higher and more sustained. Early indicators are showing that 2012 was an impressive follow-up to the remarkable 2011 spot, The Force. And with its strong individual performance, The Bark Side might just be the underdog