‘Punch Dub?’ VW adapts popular game as part of advertising campaign

By Lori Todd, AutoNation on Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Buzz

I’m late to the game. Seriously. I didn’t take note of Volkswagen’s new ‘Punch Dub’ campaign until now because I didn’t watch the Superbowl and I have a DVR (to gloriously fast forward through most commercials). Maybe I’ve gotten lazy or misplaced the remote, because I catch part of it every single commercial break. And my boyfriend? He shouts at the TV, upset that Volkswagen is taking the fun out of the game – the rarity of spotting a classic Volkswagen Beetle.

The game, as we all learned it, consists of slugging your friend in the arm while shouting out “Punch Buggy” (or “Slug Bug”) upon sighting the car. Now, after over 50 years of fun (and lots of bruises), Volkswagen is expanding the game to encompass all of their models:

Volkswagen says they’ve found the man who started it all – Sluggy Patterson, and they’ve set him up with a blog and Twitter account so he can answer your questions about the game.

Sharp-eyed readers may notice the disclaimer on @sluggypatterson’s Twitter page though: “Sluggy Patterson is a fictional character. Sluggy and all of his posts are part of Volkswagen of America, Inc.’s advertising campaign.”

… which has us confused. Who’s this guy then?

Tell us what you think

Are you playing along (so you can slug more of your friends) or are you staying true to the original, classic Punch Buggy?

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  • http://www.agustinaprigoshin.com Agustina Prigoshin

    I’ve been talking about this since the first commercial aired and I don’t agree with punching someone when seeing a Jetta, CC or any other of their models. We’ll spend half the day punching people because there are so many VWs out there and we lose the childhood fun of the game. Being on the look-out for a particular model and reacting quickly is more fun.

    I’m sticking with the Punch Buggy version of the game, but for the commercial’s sake, I like that they’re bringing this game up again. I also like that they show adults playing it – it lets us know that it’s a fun game for any age.

  • http://www.agustinaprigoshin.com Agustina Prigoshin

    I’ve been talking about this since the first commercial aired and I don’t agree with punching someone when seeing a Jetta, CC or any other of their models. We’ll spend half the day punching people because there are so many VWs out there and we lose the childhood fun of the game. Being on the look-out for a particular model and reacting quickly is more fun.

    I’m sticking with the Punch Buggy version of the game, but for the commercial’s sake, I like that they’re bringing this game up again. I also like that they show adults playing it – it lets us know that it’s a fun game for any age.

  • http://blog.autonation.com Lori Todd

    Thanks for your comment, Agustina!

    Personally, I think there’s more fun to spotting a particular model as well. Regardless, I think it’s cool that VW was able to remind us of the game many of us have forgotten (especially since classic VW Beetles are even more rare today) and introduce it (whether it’s the classic game, or Punch Dub) to kids today.

  • http://blog.autonation.com Lori Todd

    Thanks for your comment, Agustina!

    Personally, I think there’s more fun to spotting a particular model as well. Regardless, I think it’s cool that VW was able to remind us of the game many of us have forgotten (especially since classic VW Beetles are even more rare today) and introduce it (whether it’s the classic game, or Punch Dub) to kids today.

  • Anonymous

    Thank you for your comment, Agustina!

    Personally, I think it’s more fun to monitor a particular model as well. Regardless, I think it’s great that VW was able to remember the game that many of us have forgotten (especially when the classic VW Beetle is still rare today), and present it (if it is a classic game, or Punch Dub) Kids today.

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