Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads? [Hardcover]

Alfredo Marcantonio (Author), John O'Driscoll (Author), David Abbott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

In 1959, Doyle Dane Bernbach, the New York advertising agency, was appointed to handle the Volkswagen account in the USA. The advertisements they produced throughout the sixties and early seventies changed the face of advertising, not just in America, but across the world.

This book was written by Alfredo Marcantonio, copywriter and one-time Advertising Manager of VWGB Ltd, John O’Driscoll, Art Director of many British Volkswagen ads, and David Abott, an ex-Creative and Managing Director of DDB’s London office.

Mandatory reading for Beetle lovers and those in advertising alike, this fully illustrated book charts the history of the VW Beetle campaign and brings you the most memorable ads that trace the history of the car.

This book is a story of the car and its advertising. In a unique way the two were indistinguishable – the charming, honest advertising became part of the charm and honesty of the car. If you ever owned a Beetle, if you’ve ever chuckled at a Volkswagen advertisement, or if you simply appreciate wit and style, you will enjoy this book. It’s the tale of an ugly duckling that became an office pin-up.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Something rare- a truly inspiring book about advertising.' -- Tim Delaney

'This impeccably art-directed book should grace the shelves of every library in the ad world.' -- Barbara Nokes, Campaign Magazine

From the Author

My love of the Volkswagen campaign is easily explained but why is it so popular with everyone else? David, John O’Driscoll and I, first produced "Remember those great Volkswagen ads?" almost twenty years ago. Hardly a week has gone by without one of us receiving a request for a copy of it.

The creative revolution of the late fifties and early sixties produced many outstanding individual ads, even sets of ads, but this really was its first campaign, pre-dating Avis by three years or more.

The Art direction was unlike anything that had come before. It had a Bauhaus cleanliness about it. The square sharp Futura typeface was a perfect choice, it had the no-nonsense air of precision engineering. The simple, almost stark page layout visually undermined the pretentiousness of rival car ads. In Detroit size did matter, their car’s already lengthy bodies were further elongated in fanciful air brushed illustrations that had a ritzy residence or besotted blonde thrown in for good measure.

The copy also represented a radical change. Humanity replaced pomposity. The headlines would frequently ask a question rather than make a claim. They were witty and disarmingly honest. The copy agreed the Beetle was no oil painting, but boy, did it work. This artful admission of a disadvantage made the car’s advantages all the more believable. The ads were also an object lesson in single-mindedness. They set out to dramatise one truth about the product at a time, rather than parade an unwieldy list of them.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Volkswagen is the fact that it is one of those rarest of advertising campaigns that actually becomes part of the appeal of the product itself. The Economist posters are another, more recent example. Ironically, Mr Abbott had a hand in that one too. --Alfredo Marcantonio

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Dakini Books; 3rd edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0953703215
• ISBN-13: 978-0953703210
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,379,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, May 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads? (Hardcover)

I think I forgot how good the advertising for Volkswagen was. I mean, I guess our perception of the brand has to come from somewhere! This book has all the great ads from the 60's and 70's. I've been an ad-man for some time, and this book is pretty famous in our circles for being the first car ads (or any ads really) to be honest to the consumer. Most importantly I've been a VW owner for 15 years, and this book just reiterated to me why I continue to buy that brand again and again. This is for people in advertising, and for Volkswagen owners and/or lovers. I just happen to be both.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VW nostalgia, January 14, 2009

By 

martha stewart wannabe (Winter Park, FL United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads? (Hardcover)

This book is perfect for anyone who has ever owned a VW. Very entertaining photographs. A terrific gift.

4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent book that brought back memories, September 30, 2011

By 

hq4ever - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads? (Hardcover)

This book contains several of the iconic ads for the VW beetle and wagon. It includes the script for some of the great tv commercials as well. This brought back a lot of memories when I first noticed these great advertising campaigns back in the sixties. The only problem I had was some of the print is very small, but overall, this is a great book.