VW Spends More on Advertising Than Any Other Auto Manufacturer

It takes a lot of dough to make such witty commercials.
www.thedrive.com

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Volkswagen’s always been good with ads. They’ve carried over a light-hearted theme since the beginning, starting with the MK1 Golf and continuing on to their current lineup of sedans and SUVs. The company has been praised for their expertise in marketing with many awards and even a celebrity appearance when the Top Gear crew joined them back in the show’s 13th season. To keep making these witty adverts, they’ve had to pay — a lot. A recent report by Advertising Age claims that VW spent more in this category than any other auto manufacturer during 2016.

All in all, the German automaker paid over $6 billion in advertising. That’s truly an astounding number, especially when you put it into perspective. With that kind of money, you could buy approximately 2,300 Bugatti Chirons — 1,800 more than what has ever been produced. The next biggest spender was General Motors; they spent a measly $5.7 billion. Collectively, more money was spent on advertising by auto manufactures than ever before. This can be expected as their seems to be a new commercial or banner ad every time you click, flip the channel, or open your iPhone.

Volkswagen has had to do quite a bit to make up for their losses due to Dieselgate. Federal fines and buy-back programs have pushed the company to the extremes, increasing the need for more sales and more production. By spending these few extra dollars on marketing, they aim to make back as much of these costs as possible. The scandal will reportedly cost the company a staggering $14.7 billion, so every little bit helps.

But hey, on a light hearted note, you can’t help but love what they do. Their advertisements help you remember their quirkiness and charm, harkening back to their days of old nostalgia. Few manufacturers produce such a wide variety of vehicles, making it easy to find one that suits you. So watch these two snippets and see for yourself exactly why they just keep on spending.