EOC Week 1: VW Lemon

   In a time where bigger was better and chrome gleamed, the advertising team behind Volkswagen Beetle dared to be different. Super-charged American-made muscle cars were all the rage and chrome was the look of choice for the middle class American. The advertising team of Doyle Dane Bernbach, who, it is interesting to note, were Jewish, was tasked with the difficulty of selling a German made car that looked nothing like Americans had seen before. This was especially difficult considering it was not too long ago that World War II had ended, vilifying Germany and anything German made. Hemmings Motor News contributing writer Ed Heys expounds on this idea best, “What came as a total shock to almost everyone was DDB's radical approach to their ads for Volkswagen. Their "Think small" ad campaign became an instant sensation with a generation anxious to break free from the status quo.” (http://www.hemmings.com/hmn/stories/2008/05/01/hmn_feature15.html). DDB was able to take the people’s perception of the Beetle and use it to their advantage. Yes, it was not much to look at, but it is a very well made car with great mileage per gallon. The ad seemed to echo out to the American conscious, “Look again, maybe what you see as ugly and odd isn’t that at all. It’s almost kind of…cute…”With that, DDB created one of the most effective ad campaigns of all time. “We pluck the lemons, you get the plums,” states the ad. (http://paintthepig.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/vw-lemon-ad.jpg?w=490&h=621). DDB also made people laugh. It played into the unconventionality of the car and reassured potential buys that it was a very well made car that could stand up to any Ford or Chevy. The humor in the ad campaigns drew the younger generation’s attention. Heys states that, “Their irreverent mocking of conventional wisdom struck a chord with a rebellious generation that complained about conspicuous consumption. Big was no longer better; instead, VW declared, 'Think small.'” (http://www.hemmings.com/hmn/stories/2008/05/01/hmn_feature15.html). The younger generation wanted to separate themselves from their parents and create their own identity and the Volkswagen Beetle helped them achieve that. DDB also changed the way agencies advertised products. Mike Ogden of Silicon Valley Business Journal explains, “Ads before it were either information-based and lacking in persuasion, more fantasy than reality, or reliant on the medium's ability to deliver repeated exposure.” (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/1999/11/22/smallb7.html?page=all). DDB tapped into the people’s psyche and evoked emotion in their ads. The people laughed, pondered, shed a tear while looking at one of their advertisements. It was from that moment on that people were sold products differently. They were also sold an experience and a story.