Let’s take a trip back in time. To the 1960s.
Cars were big, flashy, and full of chrome. The American Dream was basically a giant Cadillac with fins.
Then came a little German car.
The Volkswagen Beetle.
And one ad that changed everything.
The ad? It was a picture of a VW Bug with one simple word underneath.
“Lemon.”
Yep, you read that right. Lemon.
Here’s the ad:
Now, calling a car a lemon was like saying, “This thing is junk.” It was basically a death sentence for any car.
But here’s the thing…
This ad didn’t kill VW.
It made it legendary.
Let’s talk about why…
Why “Lemon” Worked
First off, this ad was written by one of the all-time advertising greats, David Ogilvy. The guy knew how to get attention.
But “Lemon”? What was he thinking?
Turns out, it was a stroke of genius.
See, when everyone else was talking about how big and fancy their cars were, VW did the opposite. They called their own car a lemon. Bold move, right?
But it worked. Why? Because it caught your attention. It made you curious. It made you ask, “Why are they calling their own car a lemon?”
And that’s the point. You had to keep reading.
The Story Behind the Lemon
Here’s the thing. The ad wasn’t saying the car was actually a lemon. It was telling you that VW had crazy high standards.
The car in the picture? It didn’t pass inspection. Maybe the chrome on the glove box wasn’t shiny enough. Maybe a tiny flaw was found during quality control. So, it didn’t make the cut. VW’s standards were that high.
They didn’t sell lemons. They sold perfect cars.
The Lesson: Honesty Sells
Here’s what makes this ad so brilliant: it’s honest. Brutally honest. And people loved it.
By calling the car a “lemon,” VW was basically saying, “Look, we’re not perfect. But we’re trying to be. And we’ll only sell you the best.”
No one was expecting that. In a world full of over-the-top, shiny ads, VW was the underdog saying, “Hey, we’re not flashy, but we’re reliable.”
And that message? It stuck.
What You Can Learn from “Lemon”
There’s a reason this ad is still talked about today. It flipped the script. It did the unexpected. And it told the truth in a way that made people trust the brand.
If you want to stand out with your own marketing, here’s what to remember:
- Be different. Don’t say what everyone else is saying.
- Be honest. People can smell BS from a mile away.
- Get attention. If you’re not grabbing attention, you’re just noise.
That “Lemon” ad was a game-changer. It showed the world that you don’t need to be loud or flashy to sell something. You just need to be real.
And maybe throw in a little surprise.
So, next time you’re writing an ad or email, think about “Lemon.”
Because sometimes, the word that shouldn’t work… is the one that works best.
Sent from a fax,
Daniel Matievich