VW hired a new ad agency, Arnold Communications, who was able to use psychographic segmentation to concentrate on what consumers the campaign should target. After almost pulling out of the U.S. market, VW wanted to revitalize its brand by making it relevant to the 1990’s driver. Since VW’s image and dealer confidence was diminished, Arnold decided concentrate on consumer/dealer perceptions of the VW brand. They held customer interviews, visited dealerships, and even drove the VW cars themselves. By doing this, they were able to fully understand the personality and lifestyle of VW consumers. Most importantly, they discovered that VW owners were adventurous people who liked to have more of an active role in driving. With all of the information that they gathered, along with creating a new product positioning and brand essence, Arnold came up with the “Drivers Wanted” campaign. I believe the success to this campaign was the actual slogan itself, which was created from a strategic segmentation strategy. It invites the consumer to be a part of VW and the experience of driving their vehicles. The slogan is motivational in the sense that it welcomes all consumers to join the VW family while satisfying their needs as drivers. After interviewing a diverse group of people about their past relationship with the original Beetle and a possible relationship with the New Beetle, Arnold found that the two potential target markets were the baby boomers and the new VW audience which comprised of 18- to 34- year- olds (younger generation). The baby boomers tied certain memories and past experiences to the old Beetle, while the younger generation had an emotional connection to the New Beetle. The positioning of the New Beetle for baby boomers should concentrate on the memories the car created when it first arrived in the 60’s. I think the marketing campaign should use similar advertisements from the past while adding a modern twist. For example, a television ad could use music from a popular band in the sixties while showing group of people driving the car and enjoying the social atmosphere it created when they were younger. Giving consumers a sense of nostalgia should be the basis of the campaign, while not focusing too much on the modern features the New Beetle has to offer. The positioning for the younger generation should concentrate more individuality and self-expression. Since these consumers lack the history the Beetle offered to the baby boomers, the positioning will have to focus more on the emotional connection a person has with their car and what features the New Beetle has to offer. The younger generation will perceive the car as fun and diverse which adds personality to the car. As an ideal television ad, I can envision a young professional coming home from a long day at work, getting into their new Beetle, and driving aimlessly while catching the eyes of young civilians on the streets. The campaign should concentrate on how the New Beetle can differentiate the young consumer from every other driver on the road. The main pro of targeting the baby boomers is that they have a history with the Beetle. It captivated them at one point in their lives and the nostalgic feeling that comes over them when seeing it has a significant impact on their decision to buy it compared to its competitors. A con of targeting the baby boomers is that VW is taking a risk by assuming these consumers will have the same connection with the new model as they did with the old. VW has built the new model with up-to-date features which may serve as a con for the baby boomers but as a pro for the younger generation. The new physical look and interior upgrades would appeal more towards the younger generation since their perception is based more on an emotional level. However, the con for targeting the younger generation is introducing the car to a whole new market. They don’t have history with the car and cannot fully comprehend the connection the Beetle had with the baby boomers. Some of the younger generation may also be turned off the by the price of the New Beetle, as it is more expensive than other small-car manufacturers who offer lower prices. Despite the emotional connection consumers had with the New Beetle in the younger generation segment, I think the target market for the New Beetle should be the baby boomers. Nostalgia plays a huge role in the potential success for the car and introducing it to a market that wasn’t able to create the memories the like the baby boomers did would be extremely risky. VW was already seeing positive results from the “Driver Wanted” campaign and the failure of marketing the New Beetle to the wrong market would offset the campaign’s success.