VW Stages Times Square Concert for Global Debut of New Car

In the hope of stirring public interest and strengthening its presence in the U.S. market, Volkswagen took the launch of its latest vehicle to the masses. A constellation of summer scenery—banks of sand, swaths of grass turf, and an enormous canopy—plus a surprise performance by Katy Perry and a cooking demo by Mario Batali set the stage in Times Square for Tuesday morning's bold marketing ploy, which marked the global debut of the 2011 Jetta.

Starting at 10 a.m., swarms of tourists and New Yorkers joined hundreds of journalists, Volkswagen dealers, and Germany-based VW executives for the event, filling Duffy Square and the TKTS booth to capacity.

Positioning the marketing stunt in the highly visible intersection was a strategic move for the German automaker, which recently reported better-than-expected sales and counts the Jetta as one of its bestselling models. It also made for a considerable task assigned to the producers at Jack Morton: Not only did the crew have to develop a fitting environment for the brand and its bid for attention, but create it within the city's restrictions for events in Times Square. That entailed adhering to a strict schedule for load-in and construction, while being unable to perform any technical checks ahead of time. And for safety reasons, the details shared with the press before the event had to be kept to a minimum, preventing the number of spectators from swelling out of control—as happened at a South Street Seaport event with a scheduled appearance by the rapper Drake later the same day.

However, once the everything kicked off, Volkswagen was able to take advantage of its location, using Z100 DJ JJ Kincaid to rally the assembled mob and splashing a live simulcast onto the Jumbotron above the adjacent American Eagle store.