EOC Week 1: VW Lemon

In an age of blustery pitches glorifying size, power, and prestige, 1960s Volkswagen Beetle advertising was the calm voice for a different set of values. Plus, it made you smile. The understated style was introduced in 1959 by New York ad agency Doyle Dane Bernbach.

Now, all rules of marketing and advertising would tell you never to point out a flaw, or even mention that one might exist. DDB knew, long before anyone else, that acknowledging these errors and explaining how a company like VW solves them was a strong message that is genuine and refreshing.

Those ads were instrumental in transforming a tiny, tinny car into a symbol of freedom and nonconformity -- and thereby revolutionizing the way Americans buy automobiles by abandoning hollow boasts of status and size in favor of low-key, intelligent pitching.

The VW is not only the simplest looking vehicle but also its style demands freedom from the tight grip of society forcing us on what to drive. The VW speaks your language and your attitude. Take it for a nice easy drive or ride it hard like your attitude. The VW is not your normal family car. It is your attitude and your personality.

By showing the flaws of the VW on some of the advertisement it made Americans know, like, and trust the Volkswagen. It was simple and easy to understand and consume it with out all the flash and twinkles on today’s Ads and marketing techniques. VW kept it simple stupid in a way that the consumer could understand and digest in just one simple look at the Ad.