Business
How Volkswagen Used AI to Reunite Elis Regina and Maria Rita
Industry leaders across creative, brand, media, and production break down the behind-the-scenes story and business impact of AlmapBBDO's campaign.
On Marketing - The Podcast, industry leaders unpacked the behind-the-scenes story of the 'Gerações' campaign created by AlmapBBDO for Volkswagen. The panel explored the use of AI in advertising, emotional brand storytelling, and finding the right balance between brand equity and performance marketing.
Created by AlmapBBDO to celebrate Volkswagen's 70th anniversary in Brazil, the "Gerações" ("Generations") campaign brought together Maria Rita and her late mother, Elis Regina, in a duet promoting the electric Kombi, the ID.Buzz. The commercial sparked cultural and ethical debates surrounding artificial intelligence in advertising while delivering remarkable business and brand-building results: all 70 ID.Buzz units sold out, five Cannes Lions, a Black Star at the Brazilian Creative Club, and a 98.5% positive sentiment rate on social media.
To unpack what made the campaign so effective, host Bruno Gimenes welcomed four industry leaders on Marketing - The Podcast: Chris Bock, VP of Account Management at AlmapBBDO; Caroline Dória, Data Product Manager at Grupo Boticário; Guilherme Lopes, Partnerships Specialist at Canaltech; and Roberto Kim, CEO of EDGE Production. The discussion explored the creative process behind the scenes, the bold decisions required to greenlight unconventional concepts, multi-channel rollout challenges, and the ongoing tug-of-war between short-term performance marketing and long-term brand equity.
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Behind the scenes: The creative process and the AI decision
The project began taking shape roughly a year and a half before the automaker's milestone anniversary. Chris Bock explained that the foundation was the deep, historic bond Brazilians share with the Volkswagen brand. Artificial intelligence was never part of the original brief; rather, it became the technical solution that made the roadside musical encounter between mother and daughter possible.
Bock noted that the initial script featured a different electric model before the team settled on the Kombi. "The electric Kombi came in halfway through the process—nobody knows that, but that's how it happened," Bock shared. The project required meticulous coordination with Elis Regina's estate, whose heirs gave their final approval shortly before the film premiered internally to 5,000 employees at Ginásio do Ibirapuera.
Client courage backed by data
Caroline Dória analyzed the campaign from the brand marketer's perspective. In her view, campaigns that forge genuine resonance require a healthy appetite for risk and a willingness to break away from strictly promotional formats. "Tapping into emotions and bringing up topics people don't always talk about—yet deeply resonate with society—is what truly drives connection," Dória noted.
Bock added that bold ideas inevitably face cultural friction and corporate layers of validation. "If everyone agrees 100%, it won't move forward; it's not innovative. Someone has to disagree," he argued. Dória added that to ease executive concerns, bold creativity must be backed by data analytics, audience mapping, and impact measurement frameworks.
Media rollouts, editorial authority, and narrative flow
Looking at channel planning, Guilherme Lopes highlighted that editorial authority and influencer marketing work best when they respect the creator's authentic tone of voice. Rigid, overly prescriptive briefs alienate the end consumer. When collaborating with creators on tech publications, the primary goal is translating product features into narratives that address real user pain points.
Lopes also observed that digital marketing too often devolves into intrusive interruptions. "Digital marketing has turned into the new telemarketing—far too much interruption and far too little storytelling," he said. From Lopes's perspective, Volkswagen's campaign stood out precisely because it grounded a technical electric vehicle launch in a powerful, human-centric narrative.
Audiovisual production, vertical video, and next-gen audiences
Roberto Kim discussed shifting video formats and evolving consumer behaviors across newer generations. He emphasized that vertical video demands dedicated shooting techniques and visual grammar, rather than merely cropping widescreen television or cinematic footage after the fact.
Kim stressed that emotional storytelling consistently outperforms purely transactional messages focused on price points and financing terms. "A compelling story connects far better than price tags or installment plans," Kim stated, adding that a production company's mission is to find the best craft and technique to convey the brand's authentic message.
Brand equity vs. performance marketing
To wrap up the conversation, the panel debated advertising's core purpose in an era dominated by commoditized performance metrics. For Bock, advertising exists to differentiate products and build preference. "Advertising must generate value for the product or the brand," Bock concluded, contrasting the enduring impact of brand narratives with everyday retail promotions.
To catch all the in-depth insights on audience metrics, synthetic personas, and detailed production secrets, watch the full podcast conversation above.
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