VW Lemon - EOC (Fund. Of Advertising)

            In 1960 the Doyle Dane Bernbach advertising agency needed a way to try and sell one of Hitler’s favorite cars to American people a decade and a half after World War II. The text below the picture of the Bug in the Lemon add reads that one out of fifty cars does not make it through the rigorous inspection process for something as simple as a scratch on the window, or a blemish on the chrome piece of the glove box. The ad goes on to say that “This preoccupation with detail means the Volkswagen lasts longer and requires less maintenance, by and large, than other cars.” William Bernbach of the Doyle Dane Bernbach advertising agency was the driving force behind the Volkswagen Lemon ad. Bernbach is considered the father of the creative revolution. He insisted on learning how client’s products relate to the audience that is being targeted. At the time, the Detroit Auto market was designing large cars with a lot of accessories. The Volkswagen Lemon advertised a car that remained familiar in simplicity. The Doyle Dane Bernbach agency took a minimalist approach to selling the car on a level that was more personal to the reader of the ad. Inspector Kurt Kroner implied that Volkswagen was looking out for you, the car buyer, and that Volkswagen was not a corporation imploring you to spend more money. Rather, it was a company that has people rejecting cars for a scratch on the windshield. The Lemon ad relates the reader that Volkswagen is a higher standard than any other automobile producers.