A Beetle Takes its Last Mile in This Moving Ode to the VW Vehicle

As we embark on a new decade, Volkswagen has invited all of us to say goodbye to the Volkswagen Beetle with a new integrated campaign, The Last Mile. The campaign was created in partnership with lead creative agency Johannes Leonardo and will launch on New Years Eve.

The Last Mile is not just a goodbye for Volkswagen, it’s one for everybody to bid farewell to the world’s most popular and significant car. More importantly, the campaign signifies Volkswagen's commitment to its next chapter as we enter a new decade.

The campaign's central film - set to 'Let it Be' by the Pro Musica Youth Chorus children's choir - is a 90-second poetic animation directed by Nexus Studios' Fx Goby. It pays homage to the Beetle by giving subtle nods to popular influencers and celebrities in culture who have driven the cultural relevance of this iconic car forward. These familiar faces play the same role as the other people featured in the film - the Beetle democratised theses moments for people. Each person isn't painted with the same brush, but as a collective whole and masterpiece.

Three particular moments of note are:

1. The Beetle has been in many films, and for Ren in Footloose (Kevin Bacon) the Beetle was a symbol of his counter-culture status in the film.
2. Andy Warhol - In 1985 Warhol created an ad series paying homage to the Beetle with iconic prints.
3. Andy Cohen - He is the more modern face. Andy is an avid Beetle enthusiast and often posts with his Bug.

The team at Nexus took the decision to animate the film in live action to give it its whimsical feel, somewhat akin to an old postcard beefed up with modern design. The colour palette used is meant to reflect common colours featured in VW models over the years.

The Last Mile will be featured in New York's Iconic epicentre, Times Square, on NYE as well as airing on NBC, CNN and ABC before the ball drops. In addition to traditional media, Volkswagen will be using the hashtag #TheLastMile with select micro-influencers to ask consumers to highlight their favourite Beetle moments together on Instagram.