The Greatest "Storyteller" Campaign In Advertising History
The creatives at DDB NYC who created the classic Volkswagen Beetle ads didn't call themselves "storytellers". But what stories they told.
(NOTE: I could have posted about 100 VW ads here from the “Mad Men” era but Substack has a size limit on articles. These are just some of my favorites.)
In 1937, the original Volkswagen was commissioned by Adolf Hitler and designed by Ferdinand Porsche. In the 1950s, Americans were, understandably, slow to warm to the little German auto. At the time, every US car ad look pretty much exactly like this one:
Bigger was better, the bigger the better.
Then in 1960, VW published this ad:
A car, shaped like a lemon, calling itself a lemon. Detroit laughed and laughed. By 1962, they were no longer laughing. You had to read this story, a true story about quality control. Copy starts:
This Volkswagen missed the boat. The chrome strip on the glove compartment is blemished and must be replaced. Chances are you wouldn’t have noticed it; Inspector Kurt Kroner did.
1964 follow-up to the famous 1959 Think Small ad. At the time, respecting the white space was unheard of in American car ads. Helmut Krone and his fellow DDB ADs respected the Fuck out of it.
L—1972 ad: “It was the only thing to do after the mule died.” Another true story that had to be read. Copy:
Three years back, the Hinsleys of Dora, Missouri, had a tough decision to make. To buy a new mule. Or invest in a used Bug.
R—I love this headline: ”With 34 wives, even a king has to cut a few corners”. A bit more engaging way to say “inexpensive”, yes? 1967 ad.
VW ads talked to you, not at you. They were smart and made you feel smart.
1964
Here’s another story:
Have you ever wondered how the man who drives a snow plow…drives to the snow plow? This one drives a Volkswagen. So you can stop wondering.
How many Beetles do you think this spot sold?
Another brilliant TV spot from the 1960s. Copy:
Mr. Jones and Mr. Krempler were neighbors. They each had three thousand dollars. With his money Mr. Jones bought himself a three thousand dollar car. With his money Mr. Krempler bought himself a new refrigerator, a new range, a new washer, a new dryer, a record player, two new television sets, and…a brand new Volkswagen. Now Mr. Jones is faced with that age-old problem: Keeping up with the Kremplers.
Again: How many Beetles do you think this sold?
To 1968 and another true story quality control ad that dared you not to read it. Copy starts:
That hunk of junk was well on its way to being a Volkswagen when it ran into a stone wall, a bunch of hard-nosed inspectors who pull enough parts off the line every day to make the equivalent of 20 Volkswagens.
Two 1960s ads for the wonderful VW bus. L—That’s not MS Paint, but actual paint. The bug was painted on the bus by Helmut Krone, hands-on art director. R—How to sell capacity. How many beans? 1,612,462.
Lastly, this gem ran in Life on August 8, 1969, just two weeks after the Apollo 11 astronauts returned safely to Earth. Obviously it was in the can ready to go with another ad as back-up in case, you know. This is how you do Borrowed Interest.
Just so’s you know: I look at/watch all the new ads that come out every day. But this year, especially lately, they’ve mostly been so fucking boring, they ain’t worth a sentence response. Thus, more vintage ad posts.
VW ad 1962 or thereabouts: Mr Jones and Mr Krempler are neighbors. They each had 3 thousand dollars. With his money Mr Jones bought a $3000 car. With his money Mr Krempler bought a new refrigerator, a new range, a new washer, a new dryer, 2 new TV sets, and a brand new Volkswagen. Now Mr Jones faces the age-old dilemma: keeping up with the Kremplers. Brilliant. So great I remember it almost verbatim to this day.