Volkswagen EV ad stars Christian Pulisic under pressure

“Pressure makes diamonds” in Volkswagen’s new ad starring U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team Captain Christian Pulisic.

The 60-second spot, "Diamonds," promotes VW's 2022 electric SUV, the ID.4, Volkswagen Group's most popular all-electric model. It builds on the German automaker’s three-year U.S. Soccer partnership and compares the pressure athletes are under to perform to the pressure VW is under to produce electric vehicles. 

In the film, viewers take a journey through Pulisic’s mind as he’s poised to take a penalty kick. He reminisces about where it all began, traveling through moments of his career until arriving back in the game. Other celeb appearances include the former USMNT player Clint Dempsey, actor and comedian Brett Goldstein ("Ted Lasso") and the voice of English Football commentator Martin Tyler. 

Created with agency of record Johannes Leonardo, it's the latest extension of VW’s ongoing “Drive Bigger” brand platform. Previous spots that broke this summer include "Those Guys," about a guy oblivious to those around him, and "Break Free," centered on a sheep who breaks from the herd.

"Each effort points to the ways that VW drivers choose to live bigger lives—whether by choosing not to follow the herd, driving with others in mind, or sticking with something important no matter the pressure," said Jonathan Santana, creative director at Johannes Leonardo. "Executionally, the 'Diamonds' film provides a more ambitious premise—a snapshot of Christian's entire soccer career, sprinkled with some celebrity cameos, rather than zeroing in on one particular moment in the life of a VW driver as other recent work has done," Santana said.

“Diamonds” arrives as VW begins production of the all-electric ID.4 compact SUV at its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, making it the company's first EV to be assembled in the U.S. The automaker plans to ramp up ID.4 assembly in Chattanooga to 7,000 cars per month in the fourth quarter, with the goal to further increase output in 2023. Vehicles are expected to be delivered as early as October 2022, according to VW.  VW has delivered 190,000 ID.4 vehicles to customers around the world since its launch in 2021, which the brand marked with a populist-themed campaign.

“Diamonds” will debut during the English Premier League on Aug. 6 and will run across ESPN, Bleacher Report, Fox, NBC, CBS, Fubo TV, TBS, HBO Max, Hulu, and Peacock. The commercial will also air during the 2022 Emmy Awards, "The Tonight Show," "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and "20/20." Earlier this year, Volkswagen marketing reps said that the automaker was shifting towards a more flexible media buying plan due to supply chain shortages.