It’s coming up on two years since VW and Deutsch LA’s beloved “The Force” aka “Little Darth” spot captured the hearts of America during Super Bowl XLV. While most agree that “Little Darth” was worthy of the acclaim and awards bestowed upon it, the VW/Duetsch duo has had a difficult time following it up. Last year’s “The Dog Strikes Back” fell well short of its predecessor, and perhaps this is due to an erroneous insight into what the public loved about “Little Darth.”

Yes, the Star Wars tie-in to “Little Darth” was great, but it wasn’t the reason the spot became one of the web’s biggest hits. “The Dog Strikes Back” also had a pretty blatant nod to Star Wars as well, but the spirit of “Little Darth” was lost, and the spot became more of a sequel than a standalone ad. The real reason the public loved “Little Darth” so much was because it was just so damn adorable, and judging by the above new spot for the VW Passat, this insight is now crystal clear.

What we have here is a great (and simple) slice-o-life spot, with an absolutely perfectly timed punchline that will make you giggle and then give a long “awwww.” It’s a bit surprising that VW didn’t hold the spot until this year’s Super Bowl, but I’m quite excited for what Deutsch has planned next. Credits after the jump.

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A few weeks ago, Adidas and 180LA turned heads with a decidedly strange music video for “Fast Don’t Lie,” the anthem for its new basketball campaign. Featuring NBA stars Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard along with comedian Ken Jeong moonlighting as nutty rich tycoon “Slim Chin,” we had a feeling we weren’t seeing the last of the trio (or Jeong’s pet cheetah).

As it turns out, Adidas and has an entire YouTube channel dedicated to the misadventures of Slim Chin and his lightning-fast, musically inclined athletic friends. Along with the videos, there’s an interactive portion (co-created with 180 Amsterdam) where fans can step into Derrick Rose’s Adidas kicks to drive to the hoop on Slim Chin’s own lavish court, performing aerial dunking maneuvers from an interactive, first-person perspective.

180LA copywriter Eric Helin says the campaign uses Jeong’s popularity to “grab basketball crazed kids attention.” While stars like Rose and Howard can probably do that on their own, watching Ken Jeong ride a jet-ski around his massive pool is pretty hard for anyone to ignore.

Full credits for the spots after the jump.

More: “Adidas Uses NBA Talent for Bizarre ‘Fast Don’t Lie’ Slow Jam”

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