Greenpeace International: VW “The Dark Side”

Role: Creative Director (freelance) / Director & Editor

Client: Greenpeace International

The Challenge

Volkswagen’s public sustainability messaging was increasingly at odds with its actual environmental practices. Greenpeace International sought an exceptionally hard-hitting, high-impact campaign to challenge VW's stance and mobilize mass public action. The goal was to pierce through conventional advertising noise and compel a significant shift in corporate behavior.

My Contribution

When ad agencies failed to deliver a winning idea for Greenpeace, they turned to me. I was brought in early as part of the core creative team and created the idea for the central ad. Then working alongside the in-house creative team, helped develop the campaign’s narrative direction, viral content strategy, and central action, and helped shape how the action would live across film and digital platforms. I then directed and edited a series of viral videos and short films that translated the campaign’s provocative idea into culturally resonant storytelling designed for mass sharing and earned media.

Creative Approach

  • Drawing inspiration from Volkswagen's iconic cute Star Wars-themed Super Bowl ad, I devised a subversive and culturally resonant creative approach: casting the automaker as the "Dark Side" in the fight against climate protection, with cultural parody as a lever for mass engagement

  • Helped create a high-impact experiential action at Old Street in London, designed for direct public engagement and media amplification.

  • A three-part short film series about "Brian the Stormtrooper," whose compelling narrative and associated viral videos organically evolved into a widespread meme, significantly expanding the campaign's multi-platform impact and reach.

  • Short-form content designed to drive participation into a broader campaign ecosystem

  • Storytelling that balanced humor with activism to encourage action

Impact

  • Over 500,000 new Greenpeace members

  • The video instantly went viral, becoming the most shared ‘ad’ worldwide.

  • Global earned media coverage (The Guardian, AdWeek, HuffPost etc.)

  • Significant public pressure contributing to Volkswagen’s €1B investment in green technology

  • Compelled Volkswagen to officially withdraw its opposition to EU climate laws