Volkswagon has hit the nail on the head with its beautiful new ad. Featuring a group of hippies at Woodstock in their VW microbus, the ad channels not only the nostalgia of the people that lived through the ‘60s, but also appeals to the hipster millennials that idolize the summer of love and long to have a vintage microbus of their own.

Greg Tebbutt, VW’s director of marketing, said of the spot, “The wonderful thing about the nostalgia around the late 60’s and the Microbus’ role in that, is that it’s still relevant today. Those that were there remember that time fondly, and all generations today can relate to what that era signified, because peace, love and tolerance are still relevant themes today.”

Portraying the hippie owners of the microbus inviting others into their van as it starts to rain, and people helping as the bus gets stuck in the mud, the ad demonstrates the caring of VW owners, and shows that VW wants to care as much about its customers as its customers care about others.

The ad is for a warranty service that the company is now offering. Called the “People First Warranty,” the 6 year/72,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty will be offered on all 2018 models, and is twice the length of their competitors’ warranties.

This marketing push for the new warranty may be in response to the negative backlash received during VW’s cheating scandal in 2015. Tebbutt explained that the ad is a result of a new focus on branding, moving away from a focus on product attributes. And he’s right – the spot is unique in that there are no new vehicles in sight.

Keep an eye on VW as they move forward with this new advertising emphasis. There may be something to learn from their new approach of giving the customer an experience, not a new feature.