The controversial Volkswagen advert similar to 2013’s Apple campaign
The Team Beetles agency was in charge of creating the advertising spot
The Volkswagen advert sparks controversy due to its similarity to an Apple campaign.
In the world of advertising, it is inevitable that some campaigns resemble each other, have similarities, or even be direct copies. This is even more likely when two companies share a similar creative style, despite belonging to different industries. We are talking about Volkswagen and Apple.
This time, the German brand had to withdraw its latest campaign, which aimed to reinforce its identity and the values it has always conveyed. The reason? Its resemblance to a campaign launched by Apple in 2013. The brand has already pulled the ad.
Volkswagen campaign accused of plagiarism
“What Does It Mean, Volkswagen?” is the title of the Volkswagen advert created by the agency Teem Beetles, in collaboration with DDB and the Omnicon group. The campaign aimed to introduce the new electric model ID. Every 1.
The piece bore a striking resemblance to an advertising campaign launched by Apple in 2013 titled “Designed by Apple in California”. It featured an emotional narrative and an inspiring speech to highlight the values of the German brand. However, according to a comparison by the German media outlet Horizont, the piece contained some phrases and structural elements from Apple’s original campaign, which we share below. Volkswagen has since modified the campaign to avoid further comparisons.
Apple campaign: “Designed by Apple in California”
The brand regretted the similarity: “After recognizing the similarities, we immediately removed the content that resembled Apple’s and replaced the video across all channels.”
The DDB agency denied having knowledge of Apple’s ad, stating that it passed all internal procedures: “In all our preliminary reviews, Apple’s ad did not come up.” The agency also added that it will conduct an internal investigation to clarify what happened.
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