Soft but Tough

I thought that I was starting to get a little fed up with the spate of ads that show a sweet life story of someone growing up. John Lewis made it work fantastically, Google did it well, so have P+G, enough surely?

Well no. This is no lemon.

The new VW Polo ad is magnificent. It keeps the sense of humour their work has always had, but melds it together with a story and heart that would move a stone.

It keeps the legendary 'Small but Tough' idea and takes it somewhere new, arguably topping the John Lewis and Google work. This is beautiful story telling, the kind that will stick with people for a long time, rather like the iconic Changes ad, taking a moment of life and building up to it in a way that makes the strategic idea central to everything that happens. If you go into it knowing what the ad is for then the ending is obvious, but it doesn't really matter.

The music is fantastic, and sets the mood perfectly. It doesn't dominate the track like with the John Lewis ad, it soundtracks it, leaving the focus on the people and the idea. The direction stops it being cheesy too, and makes it feel like a real family. Whether parents will be persuaded to buy a Polo for their kids is another question, but that doesn't really matter. Watching this ad creates a huge warm glow around the car and the brand that will doubtlessly bring people to the showroom.

I was thinking the other day it's been a few years since I remember there being a great VW ad (2009's Like a Golf ad), that clock can be set back to zero now. Now how on earth do you top this?

Think I've over sold it? Just watch.