Vintage VW Ads Are Still #1
Posted: January 22nd, 2022, 10:07 am
I still remember seeing classic print ads like these in old stacks of National Geographics my dad left up in the attic. I think it was the first time I ever took notice of advertising and realised that they could actually be amusing and clever. And as I learned more about marketing and branding I soon learned more about the psychology behind it and how truly ingenious some of these original Madmen actually were. And vintage Volkswagen marketing campaigns of that era are, hands down, the best of the bunch.
Even now, decades later in a jaded era of clickbait and ad blindness, they still make you look, they still grab your attention, and they still reel you in...
http://www.brandstoryonline.com/volkswagon-ads-years/
And anyone who ever says the headline isn't important or the words don't matter, or copywriting is just a process you can outsource blindly and cheaply, I love to show them these examples to change their minds. They clearly demonstrates the impact of good writing (with imagery) as well the importance of conveying a sense of what your product is and stands for, clearly and honestly, as these guys did, often with brutal honesty and humour.
Of course you don't get more brutal than Volkswagen's original benefactor, yet in spite of all this the post-war times the company still managed to break into the US market and the brand became synonymous with freedom, expression and the new counterculture. And why not? A machine is just a machine and those machines genuinely brought joy to millions. Still doesn't diminish the fact that it was the PR coup of the century.
Even now, decades later in a jaded era of clickbait and ad blindness, they still make you look, they still grab your attention, and they still reel you in...
http://www.brandstoryonline.com/volkswagon-ads-years/
And anyone who ever says the headline isn't important or the words don't matter, or copywriting is just a process you can outsource blindly and cheaply, I love to show them these examples to change their minds. They clearly demonstrates the impact of good writing (with imagery) as well the importance of conveying a sense of what your product is and stands for, clearly and honestly, as these guys did, often with brutal honesty and humour.
Of course you don't get more brutal than Volkswagen's original benefactor, yet in spite of all this the post-war times the company still managed to break into the US market and the brand became synonymous with freedom, expression and the new counterculture. And why not? A machine is just a machine and those machines genuinely brought joy to millions. Still doesn't diminish the fact that it was the PR coup of the century.