Volkswagen is using loathsome fashion choices from the past to tell a wholesome story in the present and to acknowledge the idiosyncrasies of VW fandom.

In the hero spot for the automotive brand’s new 2024 Atlas SUV, a dad horrifies his family by rocking a mullet, spray tan and cut-off shorts, before revealing the gaudy getup is actually a tribute and re-creation of a decades-old photo of his father.

According to Taxi creative director Mike Richardson, Volkswagen has a long history of appealing to the counterculture, whether it’s a VW bus or Beetle. This spot is an acknowledgement that some of its aficionados march to the beat of their own drummer.

“Volkswagen obviously has a devout cult-like following of fans,” says Richardson. He tells strategy the idea was born from fan-generated content on forums and social media, who recreated photos involving, for example, VW Golfs from the 80s.

Rather than opting for period metal, the musical choice – French opera, via Bizet’s Carmen – is derived from doing the unexpected, says Richardson.

According to Richardson, the VW Atlas sits between two worlds: it’s neither at the price point of other fancy German engineering options, nor is it a big boxy SUV – it’s a vehicle with more style.

While the campaign targets people with larger families and higher incomes, he says it’s about a mindset. At its best, Volkswagen has a storied history of being fun and quirky, he explains, citing the company’s Super Bowl ad from 2011, which featured a kid dressed as Darth Vader trying to summon the dark side to power a VW Passat.

The idiosyncratic approach extends to the rest of the campaign, which includes a contextual placement in the parking lot of Mississauga’s Square One Shopping Centre that pokes fun at people who all drive the same SUV.

Volkswagen also placed OOH near dealerships of competitive German auto brands, to remind people that there are more interesting German-engineered SUVs available.

The campaign kicked off with a 60-second film and is supported with OOH, digital, social and CRM. Touché handled media.