2012 Passat and new Beetle,Volkswagen's Super Bowl spots

Volkswagen's Super Bowl spots, featuring the all-new Beetle and the 2012 Passat, have already garnered significant buzz. In an unorthodox twist, Volkswagen's post-game Web strategy is to move on from its Super Bowl ads, directing viewers to a new "Inside the Academy" ad starring Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader that will break Monday.

Volkswagen will run a YouTube home page takeover Monday with the new ad posted in the masthead unit. After it plays, viewers are taken to a page hosting previous Inside the Academy videos and the two Super Bowl TV spots.
During the game Sunday, Volkswagen will play previously released Inside the Academy videos on ESPN Mobile, where it also purchased a home page takeover.

Yesterday, Volkswagen leaked a Super Bowl ad for the 2012 Passat on YouTube. In this incredibly clever ad, a kid dressed as Darth Vader walks around his house trying to use "The Force" while the powerful Star Wars score plays.

The ad hints at the silhouette of the redesigned New Beetle — but does not go beyond what was shown last fall on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The Passat ad is said to draw on the "emotional heritage of Star Wars," according to Volkswagen. A child dressed up as Darth Vader unsuccessfully practices summoning up The Force on the family washing machine, the dog and a baby doll. The ad is accompanied by "The Imperial March," the stirring music from the Star Wars movies.