Uber Cool

In a world where paid search, multimedia and social media dictate the marketing conversation, I think it's refreshing to see a great print campaign. My favorite campaign of all time is Volkswagen's "Think Small." I might be biased because I am a huge VW fan, but I became a fan because of the unique brand image the company has maintained throughout the years.

In 1959, an era of bright colors and crowded posters, Volkswagen went against the grain and called on DDB to develop and ad that balanced white space with small copy. The ad read "Lemon," and the small text underneath it reads a few paragraphs about how much Volkswagen pays attention to details when designing its cars. Overall, the car was a lemon because the chrome strip inside the Beetle had a blemish.

The print ad was a huge success and regarded as one of the best ads of the twentieth century, and of all time. It helped spark Volkswagen's surge in the US and define its brand. Today, Volkswagen continues to go against the grain, making license plates that read, "Uber Cool" and lining their cars with "hipster" bike racks. The design of Volkswagen's themselves are simple and understated, and its ads today continue to utilize white space, event though it isn't quite as innovative.

In the clip below is from Mad Men when Don Draper his creative team are talking about the ad.

The creatives of Sterling Cooper seem to think the ad is a waste of space. However, Don Draper poignantly points out that even though they hate the ad, they are talking about it. Do you think people of the 1950s and 60s talked about the ad because they liked it or because they hated it?