The One Show
The One Show is the world's most prestigious award show in advertising and design. For over 50 years, the Gold Pencil has been regarded as one of the top prizes in the creative industry. The One Show has a rich legacy of honoring some of the most groundbreaking ideas, created by some of the most remarkable minds in creativity.
Category
Social Media / Social Post - Single or Series
Annual ID
OS26_DM020B
Background
Volkswagen has long been a pop culture icon. Their vehicles have appeared in countless movies and TV shows for decades.
So, for the launch of the all-new ID. Buzz, Volkswagen leaned into this rich cinematic heritage and became an official sponsor of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)—North America's most prestigious film festival. Unlike other festivals such as Cannes or Sundance, which are primarily industry-driven, TIFF is open to all members of the public and draws everyone from the serious cinephile to the casual fan looking for celebrity sightings.
With their first-ever TIFF sponsorship, Volkswagen didn’t want to show up as just another sponsor logo on a wall. Volkswagen wanted to reassert the iconic status of their brand to engage pop culture fans and promote the all-new ID. Buzz.
So, for the launch of the all-new ID. Buzz, Volkswagen leaned into this rich cinematic heritage and became an official sponsor of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)—North America's most prestigious film festival. Unlike other festivals such as Cannes or Sundance, which are primarily industry-driven, TIFF is open to all members of the public and draws everyone from the serious cinephile to the casual fan looking for celebrity sightings.
With their first-ever TIFF sponsorship, Volkswagen didn’t want to show up as just another sponsor logo on a wall. Volkswagen wanted to reassert the iconic status of their brand to engage pop culture fans and promote the all-new ID. Buzz.
Creative Idea
Introducing Buzzcodes: an epic cinematic scavenger hunt that rewarded pop culture fans for finding the ID. Buzz’s lookalike, the Volkswagen Microbus, in film and TV.
First, we scanned seven decades of movies and TV shows to find licence plate numbers on any Volkswagen Microbus that appeared on screen. These licence numbers became promo codes that unlocked prizes (ID. Buzz-branded apparel, water bottles and keychains) or the two grand prizes: VIP tickets to the opening night gala of TIFF.
To win, all fans had to do was post the name of the film or show where they found a Volkswagen Microbus, along with the corresponding Buzzcode (licence plate number). But each code could only be claimed once, so fans had to find them quickly.
First, we scanned seven decades of movies and TV shows to find licence plate numbers on any Volkswagen Microbus that appeared on screen. These licence numbers became promo codes that unlocked prizes (ID. Buzz-branded apparel, water bottles and keychains) or the two grand prizes: VIP tickets to the opening night gala of TIFF.
To win, all fans had to do was post the name of the film or show where they found a Volkswagen Microbus, along with the corresponding Buzzcode (licence plate number). But each code could only be claimed once, so fans had to find them quickly.
Insights & Strategy
Insight: The ID. Buzz evokes a sense of nostalgia for pop culture fans because it’s designed to look like an icon from the past: the beloved 50s-era VW Microbus – a vehicle with some of the most iconic film and TV appearances of the past seven decades. Take a closer look at all those appearances, and you might just spot a licence plate number.
Strategy: By gamifying the plate numbers from 70 years of VW cinematic appearances, we got people looking for our vehicles by watching and rewatching countless hours of content. Pop culture fans searched for Volkswagens in everything from Netflix streamers, to Hollywood blockbusters, to obscure arthouse films, to decades-old TV shows. And they talked about it on their social feeds. So, instead of us talking about a VW Microbus appearing in a movie like Little Miss Sunshine, our fans did it for us.
Strategy: By gamifying the plate numbers from 70 years of VW cinematic appearances, we got people looking for our vehicles by watching and rewatching countless hours of content. Pop culture fans searched for Volkswagens in everything from Netflix streamers, to Hollywood blockbusters, to obscure arthouse films, to decades-old TV shows. And they talked about it on their social feeds. So, instead of us talking about a VW Microbus appearing in a movie like Little Miss Sunshine, our fans did it for us.
Execution
We created 12 clues, each featuring an illustrated vanity plate depicting a key moment from an iconic film or TV show (including Little Miss Sunshine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Field of Dreams) where a Buzzcode was waiting to be found. In the weeks leading up to the start of TIFF, when everyone was talking about movies, Volkswagen kicked off the hunt for Buzzcodes by dropping these clues on social media (Instagram, TikTok, Threads, X, and Facebook). To win, all fans had to do was post the name of the film or show where they found a Volkswagen, along with the corresponding Buzzcode.
We also sent real versions of these vanity plates to three culture and lifestyle influencers—@navinramaswaran, @heymisscat, and @linglingthefriendlyghost—who got their followers to start searching for Buzzcodes, too. Finally, we dropped clues in onscreen ads that played at the TIFF Lightbox theatre prior to the start of the festival.
We also sent real versions of these vanity plates to three culture and lifestyle influencers—@navinramaswaran, @heymisscat, and @linglingthefriendlyghost—who got their followers to start searching for Buzzcodes, too. Finally, we dropped clues in onscreen ads that played at the TIFF Lightbox theatre prior to the start of the festival.
Results
Buzzcodes stole the spotlight with over 146 million earned media impressions from mainstream news, entertainment, culture, and trade outlets.
The campaign also drove significant increases in:
• Audience engagement by +259%* (Volkswagen’s Canada’s highest of the year)
• Followers on TikTok by +1591%†
• Followers on Threads by +882%†
• Followers across all social platforms by +868%‡
• Site traffic by +414%˚
Sources: * Meta Business Suite, Instagram 2025. † Month over month. ‡ Averaged across social platforms, month over month. ˚ vw.ca sponsorship page, MoM.
The campaign also drove significant increases in:
• Audience engagement by +259%* (Volkswagen’s Canada’s highest of the year)
• Followers on TikTok by +1591%†
• Followers on Threads by +882%†
• Followers across all social platforms by +868%‡
• Site traffic by +414%˚
Sources: * Meta Business Suite, Instagram 2025. † Month over month. ‡ Averaged across social platforms, month over month. ˚ vw.ca sponsorship page, MoM.
2026 Awards
Total Points: 9
Bronze Pencil
Credits
Agency
VML Canada
Media Agency
Touché Media
PR / Marketing Agency
Burson
Client / Brand
Volkswagen
Associate Creative Director
Jérôme Bajulaz
Mathieu Belley
Chief Creative Officer
Graham Lang
Chief Strategy Officer
Christine Maw
Group Creative Director
Mike Richardson
Designer
Kyle Simpson
Lee I
Valentina Fortun
Executive Creative Director
Allen Kwong
Art Director & Designer
Logan Franklin
Brand Strategist
Manahil Nadeem
Head of Design
Mike Butler
Senior Strategist
Michal Fetsum
Account Supervisor
Thomas Santoro
Associate Director, Strategy
Eric Sutherland
Chief Client Officer
Emma Toth
Director of Social Media
Greg Krysa
Director, Consumer & Brand
Joseph Crimi
Director, Marketing
Lynne Piette
Group Account Director
Jeff Thomas
Manager, Brand & Product Marketing
Jessica Lawrence
Manager, Brand Marketing
Jennifer Klepadlo
President
Edgar Estrada
Project Manager
Jessy Stark
Translator
Julie Goulet
Phillipe Moderie
VP, Strategy
Andrew Ahern
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