Just over a month ago I got an email from a fellow at an advertising agency in Barcelona. He asked if I was down with the idea of the one red paperclip story being part of a Volkswagen TV ad. In Spain. I said yes. Two weeks later a film crew came to Kipling and shot this commercial:
So that's the most random thing that's happened in the last month.
Just as I've never had a drink of Grolsch beer, I've never driven a Polo before so I can't attest to its awesomeness. But I can attest to the awesomeness that it was to re-enact all the trades in Kipling, with people from Kipling. Remember Nolan Hubbard? He's the guy at the beginning and does the voice over through out. The woman who says "house"? None other than former mayor Pat Jackson. All the actors and extras and other people in the commercial? All from town too. My brother Scott even somehow got in on the action. It was cool to hang out with the crew from Regina, and to watch the Spaniards freeze in the -20 Saskatchewan weather. All in all, big fun all around.
Other than Nolan's little bit at the beginning, I'm not exactly sure what the voiceover says. I think the general idea is to compare one red paperclip to a VW Polo because "with the VW Polo, you can get a lot, for something very little." (the price) Feel free to submit a transcript if you 're fluent in espanol!
I can officially say that there is not a single VW Polo in Kipling, or pretty much anywhere else in North America for that matter, but the idea that so many people from Kipling got to help make the commercial happen is really, really cool.
The ad will only be shown on TV in Spain, but I think there's a longer "director's cut" version somewhere with better shots of more people from Kipling. Hopefully it'll surface and I'll share it right here!
You can scope out more pictures from the filming of the commercial right here.
Have fun - Kyle
16 comments:
so good!
- evan
You asked for a spanish translator so here am i(i'm spanish so my english may be not perfect)
Starts translating the voiceover in english explaining how you got the house trading items starting with a red paperclip and in the end says:
"You can have a Polo for very few every month.
But you can try with half a lemon."
At www.quierounpolo.com you can post items you would trade for half a lemon and they will pick the most original one and the winner will get a car.
Hope that helped you!
Hi there! I'm from Holland, and I had to go here for a English assignment. Your story was in this English magazine, and for the assignments we had to go to your site. I think its a nice site, and this advertise thing is cool too :D Great job on doing the thing with the paperclip :D
hey :) i was just going 2 do the translation thing 4 u but someones beaten me 2 it... xD congratulations with the house!!
U crazy man!!!!great job Volkswagen, but: el del mono era mucho mejor, ya va perdiendo la gracia...... Innovar no imitar trabajos anteriores.
Critica de futura Publicista.....Hasta las peliculas recurren ya a esto....
Hi! I would like to know if somebody knows the name of the producer...
Thank you very much!
Nice, I always explain everything to the people around me when I watch this TV ad. But I think they should write your website (or blog) somewhere at the end.
I'm spanish too, I was here to translate the advert too, but aenima did it. I only want to say that "quierounpolo" is "quiero un polo" and in English: "I want a polo". A polo is a kind of car.
And.. see you! Greetings for what you have done.
that banjo is tight
Ty
that banjo is tight.
Ty
Just wanted to stamp my Gabriel Gayhart blogreader approval on the site. Pretty innovative stuff- i defiantly will come back for more.
Thanks
Gabriel Gayhart "APPROVED" :)
I am a Canadian living in Spain and I saw the commercial! I have visited you blog before (like before you actually got the house) so it was neat to see on Spanish tv!
A VW Polo is pretty similar to a Golf.
I live in Catalonia, Spain, and I got to your blog after having seen this ad and also after reading an article on Readers Digest :D I searched "one red paper clip" and here I am, excited to have found Kyle and his blog :D Well, someone already translated it, but yes, it compares the fact that you got a house from a paper clip to the fact you can get a Polo paying a small amount of money per month. And I just love the joke "or you can try it with half a lemon" :P
OMG, so you actually exist. I am Spanish, you see, and I saw the advert and found it very funny. Then I was checking on the net but I didn't seem to find anything (I was searching for Carl McDonald - for the Spanish commercial has quite an accent when pronouncing your name). Now I saw the site aenima is talking about and could check "you" at Wikipedia.
Congrats on your trade thing. And congrats on your wedding.
hey! I love what you have done!! I am actually testing out your theory!
Hi Kyle,
Great blog, great idea, great marketing.
You would wonder as soon as you know that -20ºC is not a strange temperature in some areas in Spain during the night. Unfortunately rarely snows over Barcelona.
You are a famous person in Spain right now. I do not know how did you do it, but believe me: Everybody knows about the guy who got a house with almost nothing. A lot of marketing teachers and advertising professionals, specially in Barcelona, would be pleased to meet you.
By the way, the Polo is a urban car mainly for students or low-incomes people. So, try to imagine you have nothing and afterwards you get the most precious item in Spain: A house. Houses are really expensive now and people felt identified with you.
Volkswagen plays and changes the house for the freedom symbol: a car.
Dare it, Spain is waiting for you.
Carlos from Seville (southern Spain)
good work :D
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