Week 1 EOC: Volkswagen Lemon

Lemon Volkswagen:

The Lemon Volkswagen phrase refers to the Volkswagen Beetle advertising done in the 1960s. The originally design was invented by Hitler in 1938. He called it "KdF-Wagen" or the "Strength Through Joy Car". The model dwindled like its inventor, but the design came back. This time they wanted it be available in the US.  Interestingly enough, this Jewish ad agency accepted the product and began thinking of a way to make sure it became successful in the American market. The Volkswagen was introduced in 1959 by the New York ad agency called, Doyle Dane Bernbach. Advertising that was a refreshing new take in advertising a product. What made it vastly different from its competition was that it wasn’t afraid to turn the product into the butt of the joke. The consumers that became greatly attracted to the ads were the new generation of the time rebelling against the image they had on the last. One ad in particular was the lemon Volkswagen ad. The ad showed the model with the words "Lemon" in bold font. The ad also explained the glove compartment had to be replaced because the chrome strip had a blemish. It gave the Volkswagen the image of a well-built and reliable car. What makes the results from this ad impressive and praised was that the product itself was unimpressive. That the ads were so simple, catchy, but creative and different from anything else done. It became so popular that other ad agencies began to imitate the style, causing a movement in the industry that would impact that period to today. This was called the DDB approach. The idea of placing creativity into the ads was all that began during this period in the 1960s. Now using creativity and emotional connections with the consumers is basic when creating advertisements.

Sources:

The Auto Editors of Consumer Guide. “1960-1969 Volkswagen Beetle”. How Stuff Works.com. Web. 13 Jul. 2013.

Ogden. "Volkswagen ad campaign was far from a lemon". Biz Journals.com. 21 Nov. 1999. Web. 13 Jul. 2013.

n.p.. "Volkswagen New Beetle History". Edmunds.com. Web. 13 Jul. 2013.

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