In 1959, DDB had to answer the tricky question of how to introduce a small, cheap, ugly, foreign (and German) car into the United States
Bill Bernbach, Helmut Krone, and Julian Koenig, who worked on the Volkswagen Beetle campaign, chose an innovative solution: they prompted the consumer to think. Thus, the Think Small campaign was born, which aimed to change the stereotype-based, clichéd way of thinking and prejudice.
After World War II, the tiny German-made Volkswagen that arrived on the American market was completely different from its competitors: next to the huge, chrome, gas-guzzling behemoths, it seemed almost like a toy car. At the same time, due to its compact size, simplicity, and reliability, it represented a logical and rational choice for many. The Think Small campaign cleverly focused on these very attributes, creatively and with a lot of humor.
Honesty appears as a USP in one of the agency's press ads from 1969. The creative concept connects the brand with the legendary, but utterly bland lunar module of Apollo 11, the Eagle.
„Ugly, but it gets the job done.”
Although the ad originally appeared in black and white in the pages of Life for financial reasons, nothing could have reinforced the concept better than this.
DDB achieved what no one had ever done before: selling a (inexplicable from an American perspective) German product with humor. This clever, honest, dry humor became the unique voice of the Volkswagen Beetle, the tone of voice that distinctly set it apart from its competitors' communications.
Hi, this is a comment.
To delete a comment, just log in and view the post's comments. There you will have the option to edit or delete them.