Volkswagen Kicks Off the 'VW Road to MLS Cup' Webisodes Featuring Comedian Mo Collins

HERNDON, Va., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America released the first three webisodes in a series of six to support the "VW Road to MLS Cup" campaign. The fun and engaging webisodes follow the actions of Deb, an overly passionate and self-proclaimed "#1 soccer mom" played by Mo Collins whose past credits include Mad TV and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. In the webisodes, Deb and several leading MLS players get into all sorts of crazy predicaments while taking the new MLS Cup trophy to the Championship game in Los Angeles in Deb's Volkswagen Routan Minivan. The first three installments, entitled "It Begins," "Juice Box" and "Pick Up Game" can now be seen at www.vwRoadtoMLScup.com.

"We are very excited to bring this webisode series to life for fans of the Volkswagen brand and Major League Soccer in support of our expanding partnership to promote soccer and The Road to MLS Cup tour to new audiences," said Tim Ellis, Vice President of marketing for Volkswagen of America, Inc. "By leveraging a top comedic talent like Mo Collins and recognizable MLS players from throughout the league, our hope is to expand people's familiarization with Major League Soccer and the excitement and energy of the sport."

The webisode series, created and produced for Volkswagen by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, will continue with four more installments: "Pick Up Game" on November 15, "Sleep Over" on November 18, "Game Tape" and "Lost" on November 22. In conjunction with the webisodes, Volkswagen has created a fully integrated campaign with multiple touch points, which include in-market activation, web and television creative.

"It's a tribute to the Volkswagen brand to have the courage to step outside the parameters of conventional car advertising and try something unique and fun," said Omid Farhang, Associate Creative Director, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. "The campaign leverages the honest, personal relationship Volkswagen has with its consumers, which gives it the authenticity required to make it entertaining."

Please visit www.vwRoadtoMLScup.com for more information on the "VW Road to MLS Cup" campaign, which brings the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy to the people and provides a complete listing of event details in each tour market.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Volkswagen of America, Inc. recently announced Electronic Stability Program (ESP) as standard equipment on all its 2009 vehicles. As a result, Volkswagen is one of the only original equipment manufacturers to offer an electronic stability control system on their entire product line -- ahead of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) deadline requiring vehicles in the 2012 model year to include stability control systems. Volkswagen's ESP technology works in conjunction with anti-lock brakes and helps reduce loss of control.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen Group of America is headquartered in Herndon, VA. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI, Passat, Passat Wagon, CC, Eos, Routan, Tiguan and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com.

About Major League Soccer

Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and features many stars from the U.S. and around the world. Now in its 13th season, the 14 teams in MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC. Seattle Sounders FC will join the League in 2009 and a Philadelphia expansion team will debut in 2010. MLS Cup 2008 will be held Nov. 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official Web site at www.MLSnet.com.

About CP+B

Based in Boulder and Miami, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, a member of the MDC Partners network, has a client list that includes Burger King, Microsoft, Volkswagen, Domino's Pizza, Coke Zero, Guitar Hero and Geek Squad. The agency has the unprecedented distinction of winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes International Advertising Festival in five separate categories - Sales Promotion, Media, Cyber, Titanium and the coveted Film category. CP+B has been named Agency of the Year nine times in the trade press, as well as twice being named Interactive Agency of the Year at Cannes. Their work has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Business Week, Forbes, Fast Company, Time, Newsweek, Advertising Age, Creativity and Archive.

Source: Volkswagen of America

CONTACT: Brian Williams for Volkswagen of America, +1-201-964-2407,
bwilliams@mww.com

Web Site: http://www.vw.com/
http://www.vwroadtomlscup.com/

-------
Profile: automotive-news