£14,650. Why did the dentist freeze mid-procedure? / Volkswagen "Dentist"

The problem

In 1997, Volkswagen was seen in the UK as a brand people wanted but couldn't afford. The idea that German cars meant high quality had turned into an assumption that they were expensive, and that kept VW off people's shortlists. Kathy Reed and the team at BMP DDB didn't try to fix this by lowering prices. Instead, they decided to change how the prices were perceived. That's where "Surprisingly Ordinary Prices" came from.

The insight

An ad that looks like an ad wasn't going to break this assumption. What would work better was stripping away anything that looked like advertising, so the price could slip out almost by accident, in an awkward everyday moment. They chose a dentist's chair because it's a situation almost everyone has been in: unable to move your mouth to speak properly.

The idea

A patient lies in the dentist's chair, mouth held open, mumbling: "I bought a Golf GTI... it was £14,650." The dentist's hand stops. His eyes widen as he stares at the patient. Director Steve Reeves and Stark Films threw out all the usual gloss of a car commercial, leaving only the flat, sterile atmosphere of a dental surgery.

What happened

In 1997, Campaign magazine named this the best campaign of the year, describing it as an ad that "demands a double-take." That same year, VW was also named Advertiser of the Year.

Afterthought

It's clearly staged, yet it doesn't feel staged at all. The power of that single pause on the dentist's face carries the whole thing. The number £14,650 doesn't sound like a bargain or an exaggeration, it just sounds surprisingly ordinary. I think that's the real strength of the relationship between BMP DDB and VW.

Awards

• Cannes Lions Gold 1997

Featured in

• One Number, Right in the Middle of the Ad$6.95, £14,650, 18 seconds, 9 days and 6 hours.

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