By Yashesh Shethia

I have loved cars ever since I can remember. Maybe even before I started school. Way before I started working to earn a living. Decades before I joined chlorophyll (a brand consultancy in India).

I did all the things one should do, collect posters, models, die-cast models from Matchbox and followed some of the brands that made the fastest cars, even dreaming that one day I’d have one in my garage. (you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one!)

Naturally, Porsche made the list. Particularly the 911 (it is a favorite even today) (and you always say nine eleven not nine one one

And I remember loving the Porsche TV ad…when a kid walks in to a showroom to check out the new 911, which he is then allowed to sit in, even recall his eyes sneaking up behind the steering! There was that glee and excitement in his eyes!

It’s an iconic ad of sorts, I am sure most of you would have seen it, but here it is anyways.

Porsche 911 clip

Porsche 911 clip

A few weeks back, VW launched an aggressive campaign to support their India launch. One of the TV commercials has a similar theme, a kid walks in, is shown all the models and when they will fit in to his life, ending with his father finding him at the showroom (all the characters seem soooo artificial). Have a look at the TVC here.

There is no doubt once you see both these ads, that they share the same lineage (more so with VW and Porsche now being part of the same group).

But riddle me this.

Why would Porsche (or VW) allow another VW ad to take this route?

Being inspired by the original is one thing, but how do you justify this?!

To me its like the killing of a cult.