No Lemons Here

Volkswagen’s 1960s "lemon" advertising campaign came up with a novel idea – pseudo negative advertising. The iconic image of a beetle above the simply word "lemon" caused a stir at the time. The negative term countered by text that outlined Volkswagen’s rigorous quality control: This preoccupation with detail means the VW lasts longer and requires […]

BeetleVolkswagen's 1960s "lemon" advertising campaign came up with a novel idea - pseudo negative advertising. The iconic image of a beetle above the simply word "lemon" caused a stir at the time. The negative term countered by text that outlined Volkswagen's rigorous quality control:

This preoccupation with detail means the VW lasts longer and requires less maintenance, by and large, than other cars. (It also means a used VW depreciates less than any other car.)

We pluck the lemons; you get the plums.

Today, they're mostly sticking to the plums. This Volkswagen ad from China may seem a bit risque for the market, but what better way to demonstrate the continued relevance of an iconic 1960s vehicle than through images of two women one in 60s attire and one wearing an absurdly short minidress?

Photo: Adrants