Jonathan Santana
About




                                                                                                                 
































                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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Volkswagen

An American Love Story



A brand shaped by the people. The tale of Volkswagen's evolution from an outsider to a cultural icon.


Seizing America’s grandest stage — the Super Bowl — we delivered a love letter to the people. Dispensing with expected celebrity-fueled bombast to convey the brand’s appreciation to the American people for turning a humble bit of sheet metal into an icon. And it worked.


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#1 Most engaged brand Super Bowl night

(EDO)

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Highest-ever recorded nostalgia score

(AceMetrics/iSpot)
 
★★★★★

AdAge

Volkswagen

The Bus Is Back



When asked to launch the most anticipated car in automotive history, we leaned into what it was best known for in the 60’s - its iconic two tone paint job and its original spirit.


ID. Buzz is one of the most anticipated vehicle launches of all time. Already on the road in Europe, we needed a big and bold way to signal to the American market that the electric reincarnation of the Volkswagen microbus is on its way to the US.

Our approach was to embrace the restraint, wit, and warmth of the original bus advertising of the 1960s and give it a fresh coat of paint. Literally. With a two-tone design system and clever use of wordplay and apostrophes that showed up in major commuter spaces and along bus routes in NY and LA.




































































Produced by Preymaker
Design Direction by Charles Watlington
Jr. Creative by Katie Quinn & Stephen McDaniel
Associate Creative Direction by Julian Cohen & Mikayla Lapierre
Executive Creative Direction by Jonathan Santana
Johannes Leonardo NYC


Volkswagen

Life Half-Full



The launch of one of the most aniticpated vehicles in automotive history.


With its iconic two-tone paint job and electric heart, this is more than just the rebirth of the original bus — it’s a celebration of optimism, an anthem for people who know how to find fun in the everyday. So with that, we invited America to see life half-full, to welcome a pop of color on its roads again, hopeful in inspiring a new generation of drivers to “have a little fun”.






















Directed by Martin de Thura
Produced by Epoch Films
Music by Elaine Stritch "Are You Having Any Fun"
Jr. Creative Support by Tessa Conti & Sofia Solimando
Design Direction by Olga Valdova
Associate Creative Direction & Concept by Lukas Pearson
Creative Direction by Laszlo Szloboda
Executive Creative Direction by Zoe Kessler
Chief Creative Officer Jonathan Santana
Johannes Leonardo NYC




Volkswagen

No
Going Back



The fine German craftsmanship of a Volkswagen Taos is just right


Rather than trying to prove the Taos is better on a variety of technical aspects we chose to focus on something that is both practical and emotional: comfort.











Directed by Björn Ruhmann
Produced by Smuggler
Music by Found Objects
Associate Creative Direction & Concept by Idriss Dabre & Julian Cohen
Exectuive Creative Direction by Jonathan Santana
Johannes Leonardo NYC



Volkswagen

Those Guys



The Volkswagen Atlas’ safety features keep everyone safe, even Those Guys.


To paint the picture of what makes VW drivers different we told the story of those who are considerate of others, like our VW drivers, and a guy who is not. Ironically, no car can distinguish between the two. Even though sometimes, we may wish it could.













Directed by Björn Ruhmann
Produced by Smuggler
Music by Doris Day “It’s A Lovely Day Today”
Creative Concept by Julian Cohen & Mikayla Lapierre 
Group Creative Direction by Jonathan Santana
Johannes Leonardo NYC