Volkswagen of America could spend its whole marketing budget shouting about price. Instead, its marketing chief keeps putting money into soccer fields, sketch comedy and a podcast host with a GTI tattoo. That choice says a lot about how people pick a car. It also gives any dealership that runs a social media account a handy playbook.
- Volkswagen extended its U.S. Soccer deal through 2032 and is teaming up with NBC for the network’s 100th anniversary.
- CMO Rachael Zaluzec says real drivers and the athletes’ own social accounts feel more authentic than a big ad on its own.
- Dealer social teams can use the same ideas with owner stories, local partners that fit and fresh formats.
Soccer, Sketch Comedy and a Long Game
Rachael Zaluzec is CMO and senior vice president of customer experience at Volkswagen of America. She talked about partnerships at Advertising Week in New York.
Soccer is the biggest news. Volkswagen has been a presenting partner of U.S. Soccer since 2019. The new extension runs through 2032 and comes with a bigger marketing investment. It still covers all 27 U.S. Soccer National Teams, and it now adds a sponsorship of the federation’s new flagship training center in Atlanta plus more programs for kids.
NBC is the other big partner. Last year Volkswagen sponsored the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary celebration and put the ID. Buzz into a fresh take on a classic sketch. This year Volkswagen is working with Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch on NBC’s centennial. Her team didn’t want to repeat the SNL formula, so another skit was off the table.
Real Drivers Beat Polished Ads
Zaluzec believes Volkswagen’s drivers made it part of the culture more than its ads did. That goes from the Beetle and the bus through the Jetta and GTI years. The same thinking shaped this year’s Super Bowl spot, which brought back the “Drivers Wanted” campaign after 20 years on the shelf.
The TV spot got people’s attention. Teasers on social media and a podcast appearance with Emma Chamberlain carried the story from there. Chamberlain has a GTI tattoo on her forearm in memory of drives with her dad in his GTI. You can’t script that kind of credibility.
The soccer work runs on the same idea. Many players on the women’s team are moms, and moms are a big part of Volkswagen’s target buyers. Zaluzec says content feels more authentic when it comes straight from the athletes’ own social accounts than from a big TV buy. Volkswagen will keep running TV ads to stay top of mind. She also calls Volkswagen an emotional brand and an intentional purchase, which is why trust and feeling matter so much to her.
Lessons Your Dealership Feed Can Use Tomorrow
Most dealerships don’t have an NBC budget, and they don’t need one. These ideas work at a much smaller scale.
Let real owners tell the story. Chamberlain’s tattoo story works because it’s true, and your service lane and delivery bay are full of smaller versions of it. Ask happy customers if you can share why they picked their vehicle. A post about hybrid cars for sale lands better when a real owner explains how the car fits their commute or weekend trips. Another row of stock photos with prices on top won’t do that.
Pick partners that fit. Zaluzec says people would scratch their heads if Volkswagen sponsored American football. A challenger brand pairs naturally with a challenger sport. For a dealership, a good fit might be a youth league, a school booster club or a local charity that matches your community and your customers. If you’d struggle to explain why you’re there, skip it.
Let your people post. The athletes’ own accounts feel more real than brand ads, and your salespeople, techs and managers can play the same role. A quick clip of a tech explaining a common repair often feels more genuine than a polished graphic.
Don’t repeat yourself. Volkswagen wouldn’t run another SNL skit for NBC’s birthday. If a video format worked last month, give it a new angle instead of making a copy.
Build Feelings Now and Sell Cars Later
Zaluzec calls this an unpredictable stretch for the car business, with tariffs, the economy and new technology all in play. Plenty of brands are pushing nothing but price. She agrees price still matters while shoppers are watching every dollar. Her bet is that the emotional connections Volkswagen builds today will pay off now and again when the market bounces back.
She holds her biggest moves to a high standard, too. Volkswagen has no Super Bowl plans for next year, at least for now, because she only wants that stage when the brand has something big to say. That’s sound advice for a dealer feed. Post your specials, but save the big swings for stories worth telling. Share real owners, choose partners that make sense and keep your formats fresh. Followers will remember how you made them feel long after they forget a sale price.
