Think small Volkswagen

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From 1938 to 2003, the German automobile concern Volkswagen produced and successfully sold the Beetle passenger car model in the United States. By the end of the 1950s, comfortable long cars from Detroit became popular, so sales of the modest small car dropped significantly. It was necessary to somehow correct the situation.

And then the creative director of the PR agency DDB Helmut Krone and copywriter Julian Koenig developed a creative print advertisement for the Volkswagen concern. This is another example of a successful advertising campaign that can be called revolutionary. The leaflet contained the headline "Think small", a small photo of a black and white VW Beetle and three columns of text. The image of the car was located in the upper left corner. Information about the advantage of owning a merchant cash advance email marketing small car, printed in small font, was located at the bottom of the leaflet. Most of the sheet was left empty. The free space was used to emphasize the simplicity and minimalism of the German model.

Volkswagen Advertising Campaign

The advertising campaign for the VW Beetle model was based on the idea: the basic functionality of a small democratic car is time-tested and will never become obsolete. The black and white leaflet was very economical and stood out against the background of other colorful advertising. Consumers appreciated its brevity and humor, and later the PR solution appeared not only in all printed media, but was also adapted for a video clip.

The modest and economical Beetle became a symbol of rationality and the best-selling imported model in the United States. The highly professional work of the DDB agency employees influenced not only the sales of the Volkswagen concern, but also the entire automobile marketing. A simple photo on white, an economical layout - all this fundamentally contradicted the ideas of that time about PR. According to Advertising Century, the DDB agency project is the best example of a product advertising campaign developed in the 20th century.

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Coca-Cola: The holiday is coming to us
The genius of Coca-Cola's solution is that the basis of the advertising idea is the association of the brand with a holiday that millions of people love and wait for. In its advertising campaign, the manufacturer touched upon the best traditions and values. On the eve of the New Year, a joyful and festive atmosphere reigns everywhere. And a video appears on television channels: red trucks, decorated with garlands and the Coca-Cola logo, are driving to the metropolis along a snowy forest road. The video clip is accompanied by a joyful-sounding and repeatedly repeated slogan: "The holiday is coming to us, the holiday is coming to us ...", which you want to pick up and sing.

Coca-Cola Advertising Campaign

Connecting an advertising campaign with one of the most significant and beloved holidays of people all over the world is a truly brilliant idea. Other developers of PR projects have also attempted to create an associative space around a trademark. We can recall several more similar ideas of advertising campaigns and examples - Kit-Kat with the slogan: "There is a break - there is Kit-Kat" or Lay's with the motto "Cinema is tastier with Lay's".

"We Try Harder" Campaign for Avis
The American company Avis Rent a Car, which provided car rental services, had been incurring losses for fifteen years. In 1962, Robert Townshend was appointed as the new manager. He began his work by searching for talented specialists. The manager went around ten PR agencies with only one proposal: "I have a million dollars for advertising, and I need to get a return of five million from it," but everyone just laughed at his initiative. However, one brave man was found - William Bernbach from the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency.

At that time, another American company, Hertz, was the leader in the car rental market. When the creative agency Doyle Dane Bernbach launched the famous “We try harder” campaign, Avis Rent a Car strengthened its market position. In addition, the “We try harder” ad had a dramatic impact on Hertz’s dominant position, calling its advantages into question. The PR idea was that a company that was not a sales leader should make more efforts, try to satisfy the wishes of consumers better than its competitors. In the advertising project, Avis positioned itself as a trustworthy, ambitious company worthy of second place in the service market.

The final results of the collaboration between the car rental company and the creative agency Doyle Dane Bernbach were brilliant. In 1962, before the "We try harder (because we're only #2)" campaign, Avis had only about 11% of the car rental market in the US, but in 1966, Avis, as announced, took second place in the service market, and reached 35%! Setting a bold and ambitious goal for an advertising campaign is an example of how to achieve a result that will exceed all expectations.

The campaign was so successful that it not only helped to increase Avis sales, but also changed Hertz's position in the services market. In 1966, its management signed a contract with a new advertising agency and tasked professionals with creating an "anti-Avis" project that would stop the successful competitor's advance. But the measures were taken too late. By that time, Hertz had lost 10% of its market to its competitor Avis. Even the headline of the "anti-Avis" advertisement stated that the company, which had not been taken seriously in the past, was now number two on the market.