VW's own marketing genius of almost 60 years ago is proving to be prophetic of the current status of the company. In 1959 Volkswagen expressed to the world that they had a whole different level of standards and integrity. They cared about their product and their customer. We are learning now, it all may have been just this, a clever marketing schema. So was it?
If you've been reading the news [Volkswagen CEO quits over 'grave crisis' by CNN Money] Volkswagen has been caught cheating regulatory compliance with it's automobile emissions as far back as 2009. Investigations are still on-going.
What the iconic ad of the late 50's by marketing firm Doyle Dane Bernbach spelled out in front of the public was that Volkswagen held itself to another standard. The image of it's beetle car with the single headline 'Lemon.' attracted people and gained immense attention. Upon reading the copy, customers would learn that VW's own engineers would not accept subpar quality, even if the customer would never see the component. This was not only a brilliant against-the-tide advertising campaign, but it helped solidify VW's mission and brand as a differentiator in the car market.
So begs the question, were the last sixty years built upon a false promise launched from that single ad?
A different day, a different standard.
It's unfortunate. I've always been a VW fan and I'm now spun into a headache of wondering what the hell happened to this manufacturing icon? I'm sure many in the advertising and marketing world are asking themselves the same questions. {Learn More about Marketing Automation Software}
Every business needs to engage in marketing. Peter Drucker named marketing as "the distinguishing, unique function of the business". So what happens when a company markets itself one way and then acts another? You get the same headlines about Volkswagen.
Be honest to your customers and to your company's values, you can't go wrong staying true. Don't blame the marketing for poor integrity. We'll see how the dust settles with this so-called scandal.
// Zack
CEO & Cofounder, Kpahi.com
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