Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The first and last time I laughed at a funeral.

Most people don't know that the Volkswagen Beetle was designed in part by Hitler himself.  Instead, the cute little VW is thought of by most as the love bug, punch buggie, or hippiemobile.  So how did advertisers transform the Beetle's image from a Nazimobile into a positive cultural icon of the 1960s?

They had a funeral.



This is the only funeral you'll ever attend that it's acceptable--even encouraged--to giggle a little bit.


This is by far one of my favorite (old) television commercials.  It has to be against some unwritten advertising rule to use any idea surrounding death to sell a product-- especially something as expensive as a car.  But for some reason this commercial works, and it works well. It wasn't the first ad to transform the Volkswagen image, but (in my opinion) it's definitely one of the best. 

I am absolutely in love with the advertisements DDB did for Volkswagen in the 60s, so I'm going to spend the rest of the week highlighting my favorite ones.  What to look for tomorrow: the best (literally, the best) ads in American history.  According to me obviously.  Just kidding.  I let other people vote this time.  Kind of.
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9 comments:

  1. Kramer FryeJanuary 23, 2013 at 4:08 PM

    Hitler couldln't have designed an uglier car. Just the sight of a beetle, advertisement or not, tends to make me laugh.

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    Replies
    1. AmandaJanuary 23, 2013 at 4:48 PM

      Kramer, I'm glad you brought that up. The "unattractiveness" of the Beetle, that is. Advertisers used the ugliness of the VW as a selling point. They turned ugly into the new cool. Which is what makes the ads so amazing.

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  2. UnknownJanuary 23, 2013 at 4:08 PM

    Interested to see your favorite ads of all time. Also, I hadn't known anything about Volkswagen's history until you began talking about it, so that was interesting.

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  3. UnknownJanuary 23, 2013 at 4:09 PM

    I definitely didn't know that the Beetle was parcially designed by Hitler. That's pretty cool. I do love VWs though. I can't wait to see more ads.

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  4. Professor Lori JakielaJanuary 23, 2013 at 4:10 PM

    I completely disagree with Kramer. My first car was a Bug (sky blue, semi-automatic) and I still love them. The Hitler connection is a problem, though. But I'd still be driving that car if the floorboards didn't rust through and go all Flintstone-mobile. I love this post, Amanda!

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  5. UnknownJanuary 23, 2013 at 4:11 PM

    I have to admit, I am not the biggest fan of the Volkswagen but this commericial is (hilarious) <-- am I allowed to use that word? lol I know it has to deal with a funeral but I could not take my eyes off the Volkswagen! ... I love how he was tearing up but then smiled...

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  6. Whitly January 23, 2013 at 4:12 PM

    Omg! This is hilarious. I've always loved these cars. I had no idea that Hitler had a hand in any of the makings of it. Still, it's an awesome car and that was one hilarious funeral.

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  7. UnknownJanuary 23, 2013 at 4:15 PM

    I never knew the Beetle was designed by Hitler. Weird. Its so known as such a cute car, like you said. Love the commercial too.

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  8. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2013 at 6:07 PM

    if you can sell death, you can sell anything

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