Normally I don't read Jalopnik articles any more, but my friend texted me this today. While probably a little bit hyperbolic here and there, it's still an interesting editorial and an interesting take on how a company's priorities can change as its culture changes.
- VW lost interest in brutal honesty a long time ago, and instead turned to the insecure braggadocio of “German Engineering” and slogans like “Drivers Wanted” that suggest their cars are more advanced, more rewarding, and for a more discerning driver.
Really, it doesn’t matter if any of that is true or not; what it does mean is that VW’s incentive to be open, honest, and ready to accept criticism is long gone, and these are all traits that led them to develop emissions-cheating software for their cars instead of accepting the realistic trade-offs of diesel motors.
- Just take a moment there and read over all those quotes (especially the last one there) and try, just try to imagine modern Volkswagen — or, really, any modern-day car company — admitting anything like that about their product in an advertisement. It absolutely, positively would never happen.
Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. Really, it would never fucking happen.
Lessons from Automobile Branding: Offer the Right Things to the Right People
I dunno. Saying Volkswagen lost its way because they changed ad agencies is a little trite. The fact of the matter is, in 1968 there was no.f'ing.WAY VW was going to market to the mainstream American car buyer... and it's disingenuous to say that their advertising was really all that unique.
Fans of '60s advertising will note that everything was advertised this way: Picture of product against white background with half a page full of serif copy. Volkswagen was advertising that they had good fuel economy and were cheap in the exact same way everyone else was advertising that they had a gajillion horsepower and made panties moist.
posted 3090 days ago