Week One EOC - "Lemon"

"LEMON"

            The “Volkswagen Lemon” ad changed the face of advertising in many different ways. The black and white picture is of a 1960’s Volkswagen Beetle. “In an age of blustery pitches glorifying size, power, and prestige, 1960s Volkswagen Beetle advertising was the calm voice for a different set of values.” –Auto Editors of Consumer Guide.

 Most individuals embraced the car. It came up in a time where hippies were decorating it with colorful flowers and peace signs. It stood for something more than a car. There was a sense of irony found because the car manufactured in Germany and was loved by post-war Americans. Many slogans were used to advertise the vehicle. A few were; “Think small,” “It’s ugly, but it gets you there,” “If you run out of gas, it’s easy to push,” and “Presenting America’s slowest fastback.” The ads were designed out of humor. The car itself was not flawed, and it was not in actuality a “lemon.” It was a foreign car out of the American norm. It was small, hip, easy of gas, cheap to fix. American cars at the time were very big and flashy and had many accessories. This little car was polar-opposite. Pointing these characteristics out and making people laugh, grabbed their attention.

http://www.visualnews.com/2013/09/03/20-best-volkswagen-ads-1960s-campaign/

 The ad was a simple black and white photo of the vehicle. You could not see any flaws in the car. It was not very detailed. There is a version of the ad where the car is so small you can barely see it. It goes on to talk about a dent in the bumper and a scratch on the windshield which clearly you cannot see in the picture. “This preoccupation with detail means the VW lasts longer and requires less maintenance, by and large, than other cars.” This encourages the reader to continue reading the ad which further explains the stringent inspection it really goes through to ensure the buyer is indeed not getting a lemon.

 http://www.writingfordesigners.com/?p=1731

 How did the ad change advertisement forever? Instead of your daily consumer looking at an ad and it stating, “Buy this, just because,” the viewer now had options. These options questioned the product and questioned their needs. It was the start of communication between the ad and the individual.

http://magazine.volkswagen.com/beetle-campaign-kassaei.html