Brilliantly Bold Baby Ram Grabs Life by the Horns in Global VW Campaign

Volkswagen has launched an extensive international campaign for its new T-Roc SUV car.

The campaign, ‘Born Confident’, created by adam&eveDDB in London and DDB Berlin/Hamburg, tells the story of a young ram, who is born with thick black fur and the horns of a fully grown ram. From day one, the ram exudes confidence, leading his herd of sheep, standing up to a sheep dog, the farmer, and an intimidating bull. But when the ram encounters the new Volkswagen T-Roc, he realises that he has finally met his match. The TV advert was masterfully directed by Somesuch’s Nick Gordon.

The TV ad launches the campaign, which will then extend into print and OOH. A microsite will feature all the campaign elements, including four online films, while a social media campaign provides image and video content targeted specifically at the T-Roc’s core audience.

Jürgen Stackmann, member of the Volkswagen Management Board, said: "For Volkswagen, the T-Roc is a self-confident step in a new segment since it stands out from the crowd and leaves a lasting impression. You can see this impressively in our new film."

The T-Roc SUV was unveiled earlier this year, it features optional front-wheel or all-wheel drive and combines the confidence inspired by an SUV with the agility of a sporty compact model.

The self-assured young ram was brought to life by MPC Life. Using innovative in-house software developed for photo-real creature work, MPC's Life team mastered the tricky balance of crafting a charming photo-real character – the brilliantly bold little ram ready to take on the world - without slipping into cartoon-like animation.

Carsten Keller, MPC’s 3D Creative Director said: “We needed to create a baby ram with life-like proportions, staying true to physical anatomy. To make him feel real, subtlety was key. Push the animation and ‘acting’ too hard, and you instantly lose believability.”

The campaign will roll out across Europe by the end of 2017. And while you're here, be sure to check out the epic behind the scenes video from MPC.