Reuel Golden

The latest VW campaign, just launched for the Chinese market, is all about comparing the old with the new. In one ad, a young Chinese woman is dressed in a classic "Qi Pao" dress from the 1930s, while opposite her is a hipster dressed in a contemporary version of the dress. In another ad a traditional Chinese chair is placed opposite a modern, sleek looking chair. The final ad in the series gets to the heart of the matter: it actually shows a classic, original Beetle facing the new 2008 model, while  the other two ads just show a very minimalist illustration of the car.

The campaign was created by the Dynamic Marketing Group in Beijing and photographed by Zhang Dan of Sheng Yan Dong Tian Zao Xing Studio. Dan Mintz, chief creative officer at DMG, describes the campaign as "making the classics better by bringing them up to date. When the past meets the present, these classics can impart on everyone a new level of refinement and make life all the enjoyable whether in the past, the present or the future."

The ads, which promote the New Beetle as the ultimate fashion statement, are targeted at the 30- plus generation of hip Chinese consumers who are influenced by current trends in fashion. Mintz adds that the "clean lines and a plain, white background communicate the simplicity of differences between the old and the new." Mintz describes photographer Zhang Dan as one of the "best in Beijing because he gets involved with the entire creative process and brings to fruition a simple concept blown out into a bold statement."

Mintz is a New Yorker who founded the agency in 1993. It has positioned itself as a bridge for Western companies who want to reach the millions of Chinese consumers. Its clients include Nike, Fruit Of The Loom and Johnson& Johnson. Other creatives who worked on the VW ads include creative directors Xu Weibing and Martin Barnes and the art directors are ni Yuanyuan and Alan Guo. The ads are appearing in local publications such as New Weekly, City Pictorial and The Bund.