Think Small
Encyclopedia
Think Small was an advertising campaign
for the Volkswagen Beetle
, created by Julian Koenig
at the Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) agency
in the 1950s. It was ranked as the best advertising campaign of the twentieth century by Ad Age, in a survey of North American advertisements. The campaign has been considered so successful that it "did much more than boost sales and build a lifetime of brand loyalty [...] The ad, and the work of the ad agency behind it, changed the very nature of advertising—from the way it's created to what you see as a consumer today."
15 years earlier and had become a world and consumer superpower
; cars began to be built for growing families with Baby Boomer
children and "Americans obsessed with muscle cars". The Beetle, a "compact, strange-looking automobile", was manufactured in a plant built by the Nazis in Wolfsburg
, Germany
, which was perceived to make it more challenging to sell the vehicle (being that the car was designed in Nazi Germany
). Existing advertisements for automobiles at the time focused on providing as much information as possible to the reader rather than focusing on persuading the reader in purchasing a product, and the advertisements were typically rooted more in fantasy than in reality.
to create the "Think Small" and "Lemon" ads for Volkswagen under the supervision of William Bernbach
. DDB built a print campaign that focused on the Beetle's form, which was smaller than most of the cars being sold at the time. This unique focus in an automobile advertisement brought wide attention to the Beetle. DDB had "simplicity in mind, contradicting the traditional association of automobiles with luxury". Print advertisements for the campaign were filled mostly with white space, with a small image of the Beetle shown, which was meant to emphasize the simplicity and minimalism of the vehicle and the text and fine print that appeared at the bottom of the page, which listed the advantages of owning a small car.
, Bill Hoest
, Virgil Partch, Gahan Wilson
and other top cartoonists of that decade drew cartoons showing Volkswagens, and these were published along with amusing automotive essays by such humorists as H. Allen Smith
, Roger Price
and Jean Shepherd
. The book's design juxtaposed each cartoon alongside a photograph of the cartoon's creator.
Advertising campaign
An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication...
for the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
, created by Julian Koenig
Julian Koenig
Julian Koenig is an award winning copywriter and widely considered one of the greatest in the history of advertising. He was inducted into The One Club in 1966.-Background and family:...
at the Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
in the 1950s. It was ranked as the best advertising campaign of the twentieth century by Ad Age, in a survey of North American advertisements. The campaign has been considered so successful that it "did much more than boost sales and build a lifetime of brand loyalty [...] The ad, and the work of the ad agency behind it, changed the very nature of advertising—from the way it's created to what you see as a consumer today."
Background
After the United States had been on the winning side of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
15 years earlier and had become a world and consumer superpower
Superpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...
; cars began to be built for growing families with Baby Boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
children and "Americans obsessed with muscle cars". The Beetle, a "compact, strange-looking automobile", was manufactured in a plant built by the Nazis in Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, which was perceived to make it more challenging to sell the vehicle (being that the car was designed in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
). Existing advertisements for automobiles at the time focused on providing as much information as possible to the reader rather than focusing on persuading the reader in purchasing a product, and the advertisements were typically rooted more in fantasy than in reality.
Campaign
Julian Koenig, who originated many famous advertising campaigns, teamed with Helmut KroneHelmut Krone
Helmut Krone was an art director and is considered to be a pioneer of modern advertising. Krone spent over 30 years at the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach...
to create the "Think Small" and "Lemon" ads for Volkswagen under the supervision of William Bernbach
William Bernbach
William Bernbach was an American advertising creative director. He was one of the three founders in 1949 of the international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach...
. DDB built a print campaign that focused on the Beetle's form, which was smaller than most of the cars being sold at the time. This unique focus in an automobile advertisement brought wide attention to the Beetle. DDB had "simplicity in mind, contradicting the traditional association of automobiles with luxury". Print advertisements for the campaign were filled mostly with white space, with a small image of the Beetle shown, which was meant to emphasize the simplicity and minimalism of the vehicle and the text and fine print that appeared at the bottom of the page, which listed the advantages of owning a small car.
Book
A 1967 promotional book titled Think Small was distributed as a giveaway by Volkswagen dealers. Charles AddamsCharles Addams
Charles "Chas" Samuel Addams was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters...
, Bill Hoest
Bill Hoest
Bill Hoest was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of the gag panel series, The Lockhorns, distributed by King Features Syndicate to 500 newspapers in 23 countries, and Laugh Parade for Parade...
, Virgil Partch, Gahan Wilson
Gahan Wilson
Gahan Wilson is an American author, cartoonist and illustrator known for his cartoons depicting horror-fantasy situations...
and other top cartoonists of that decade drew cartoons showing Volkswagens, and these were published along with amusing automotive essays by such humorists as H. Allen Smith
H. Allen Smith
For the congressman see H. Allen SmithHarry Allen Wolfgang Smith was an American journalist and humorist whose books were popular in the 1940s and 1950s, selling millions of copies....
, Roger Price
Roger Price (comedy)
Roger Price was an American humorist, author and publisher, who created Droodles in the 1950s, followed by his collaborations with Leonard Stern on the Mad Libs series...
and Jean Shepherd
Jean Shepherd
Jean Parker Shepherd was an American raconteur, radio and TV personality, writer and actor who was often referred to by the nickname Shep....
. The book's design juxtaposed each cartoon alongside a photograph of the cartoon's creator.
Further reading
- Marcantonio, Alfredo & David Abbott. "Remember those great Volkswagen ads?" London: Booth-Clibborn Editions, 1993. ISBN 1873968124
- Imseng, Dominik. Think small. The story of the world's greatest ad Full Stop Press, 2011. ISBN 978-3033028524