Volkswagen is giving an even stronger emotional charge to its brand and lends further momentum to its global e-strategy. Volkswagen, ZAG and Mediawan Kids & Family, the two co-producers, have inked an exclusive partnership for the upcoming animated family movie “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie”. Volkswagen Chief Marketing Officer Nelly Kennedy said: “E-mobility is cool, and it is exciting. This is a perfect match with the characters and the story. We are thrilled that the movie’s beloved characters will experience their adventures with different fully electric cars of our Volkswagen ID. family.”
“Miracolous: Ladybug & Cat Noir – The Movie” will be played in more than 100 markets globally, after “Miraculous” became a global family pop culture phenomenon in more than 130 countries over the last couple of years as a series. The global awareness is impressive with more than 33 billion views on YouTube and number one TV-rankings in many countries. The upcoming very first movie will be playing in theaters around the globe starting as of July 5th, 2023, and on streaming platform Netflix – starting as of July 28th 2023.
Heroes go electric in ID driver seats
In this block buster fully, electric vehicles will be integrated in a meaningful way into the storyline. The cars of the ID family are being redesigned to fit the movie look and feel, in close collaboration of designers, both at movie animation and Volkswagen as well as the respective Marketing team around Gilbert Heise and Salim Yueksel. Two city cars with a futuristic look will be attributed to the main heroes: Cat Noir with the ID.401 and Ladybug – a modern character who stands for female empowerment – with a concept car electric Beetle. The luxury ID. Vizzon will be associated to the successful stylist Gabriel Agreste, and the iconic Volkswagen ID. Buzz02 will be Tom’s bakery delivery vehicle.
Emotional storytelling important for shaping the love brand
Volkswagen is synonymous with being tongue-in-cheek and using humor in its consumer communication. At the same time, advertising, and marketing as well as customer behavior arechanging rapidly. The current collaboration is an important element of the realignment of the brand and marketing activities and the latest in several similar partnerships. Volkswagen had successfully launched other joint projects in recent months with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania”, and the Disney+ limited Star Wars seriesObi-Wan-Kenobi, Andor and “Mandalorian.
Further push for emotionalizing e-mobility in a broad family audience
Volkswagen has taken the lead in the transformation toward electric mobility and has prepared the way for this as early as 2016 with a clear commitment to the Paris climate goals. The company plans to become climate-neutral by 2050. Volkswagen will be launching ten new all electric models until 2026 – including the already presented ID.303, ID.704 and ID. Buzz. Having animated action heroes going for electric mobility in the movie is fully in line both with Miraculous universe values of ecology and sustainability and with Volkswagen’s “Way to zero”. Nelly Kennedy: “This collaboration will strongly support our efforts to emotionalize the brand and our ID family even more. It offers Volkswagen the opportunity to introduce the ID. family in a very likeable way to a broad family audience.
Two strong brands with common values
“From the very beginning of the incredible adventure of the film, the collaboration with Volkswagen appeared to us as a natural fit. Our two brands have many values in common. Transmitting the values of a better world is also our responsibility as producers,” stated Aton Soumache and Emmanuel Jacomet, producers of the film. “With my creative team, I had a lot of fun adapting the iconic vehicles of the Volkswagen brand to the world of Miraculous and to integrate them seamlessly into the film and the Parisian settings. Ladybug and Cat Noir represent the new generation, and the vehicles in the film embody that modernity. For me, it is crucial to convey an essential message: taking care of our environment to live in a better world tomorrow,” adds Jérémy Zag, director of the movie.
