Volkswagen ID.4 Starring In "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire"

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Automakers are the biggest advertisers in the world, and one of the clever ways they like to advertise is by slipping their vehicles into popular movies and TV shows. Frankly, I find it an enjoyable and non-obtrusive way to advertise. It’s fun to notice an EV sneak into a movie or show, and it’s much better than sitting through a commercial. One current film featuring an EV is apparently Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. How do I know that? Because of a press release from Volkswagen.

News to me: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now in theaters (globally). The film from Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment “showcases” the Volkswagen ID.4. If any of you have watched the movie, let us know if you noticed it, what you thought of its role in the film (if you did notice it), and if you think it makes a difference.

In addition to its role in the movie, Volkswagen Headquarter and Volkswagen Japan worked on some fun short-form social media content for its EV alongside the big movie.

Actress, model, and “social media sensation” Chikako Fukuyama is a star of the social media clips. Let’s have a look at these.

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I’m not going to lie, I’m not thrilled with that one. It’s a bit boring and zooms in on the ID.4 a bit too much. There’s nothing that makes me want to share it with others.

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Again, not thrilled with that one. First of all, it feeds irrational concerns about “range anxiety” in non-EV owners who don’t realize how easy it is to keep your car charged, and then it’s just a sort of unnatural, odd, low-quality link to the movie. Sorry. Next.

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That one’s alright. The giant coffee and sugar for Kong is fun, and the ID.4 is featured nicely. It’s the best of the bunch, but again, it’s not something hilarious and amazing that I’m going to go share with friends.

So, good idea to do these, but I’m not impressed with the efforts.

Naturally, Volkswagen executives and movie company execs were excited for the collaboration and the opportunity to reach new audiences, and they prepared some statements to go with the news.

“At first glance one might wonder what the link is between an edge-of-your-seat, adrenaline-filled Monsterverse movie of such epic proportions, and the innovative, intuitive safe haven that is the ID.4. But it’s all about feelings, and emotive storytelling. As well as all the fast-paced monster action, the film has plenty of playful and heartwarming moments that really speak to us at Volkswagen,” Imelda Labbé, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Sales, Marketing and After Sales, said. “We collaborated closely with our Volkswagen Japan team on production to take the all-electric ID.4 closer to a broad group of customers in Japan and fire their enthusiasm for sustainable mobility.”

“In our exhilarating partnership with Volkswagen for ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,’ we’re thrilled to showcase the ID.4’s electrifying presence on screen. This collaboration merges cutting-edge automotive innovation with the epic scale and expansion of our Monsterverse world, bringing new dimensions to our beloved characters and stories while working alongside an iconic brand,” said James Ngo, Executive Vice President, Franchise Management at Legendary Entertainment. Electrifying. Nice.

Volkswagen is not new to this method of advertising. In fact, it’s quite keen on it and has been getting involved with a number of big productions in recent years. Those include:

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania from Marvel Studios
Star Wars limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and Mandalorian from Disney+.
Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir – The Movie from ZAG and Mediawan Kids & Family

That’s an impressive lineup of collaborations. Is it making a difference? Well, one can hope and dream.

And, now I’m quite curious, what movie or TV collaboration will Volkswagen get itself into next?

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