Campaign of the month - Volkswagen

Thu, 28 Jun 2007

Tribal DDB has won the May Creative Showcase award with its work for Volkswagen. The humorous campaign centres on a fictional clinic, "the Retreat", where men can be cured of their mid-life crises, leaving them free to appreciate the understated style and integrity of a VW Passat. It includes a video-rich microsite, a rich media ad campaign and e-mail, with additional video content that can be personalised and sent to friends.

At www.midlife-crisis-retreat.co.uk, visitors can take the "mid-life crisis test". They can find out about the Retreat's treatments, examine statistics and hear patients' testimonials. There are videos of a man squeezing into a pair of leather trousers and of another being washed up at sea attempting to wakeboard. A psychiatrist advises that if you are showing signs of a mid-life crisis, maybe you too should visit the Retreat.

First runner-up this month was Goodtechnology with its campaign for Christian Aid Week 2007. The week raises £15m a year, with most of this money generated through "red envelope" door-drops. GT created a visually arresting campaign including e-mails, online ads and a microsite exploring the theme "it's amazing what you can get out of an envelope". The user-friendly website (http://caweek.org) was designed to generate online donations by using a red envelope to illustrate what happens with any money raised. The envelope unfolds to reveal a 3-D depiction of a flourishing developing world, reinforcing the "you add, we multiply" message.

Second runner-up was Greenroom Digital's microsite for PlayStation 3's lead title, Resistance: Fall of Man. Resistancefallofman.com creates a background story that takes users up to the point where the game begins, effectively blurring the boundaries between gaming and cinema. The site was a year in planning, and features bespoke film and CGI content, all brought together to deliver a highly emotional interactive journey.