That pitch helped reposition Volkswagen, dogged by its wartime association with Adolf Hitler, as “something that was warm and friendly and the antithesis of Nazi Germany,” said Tobe Berkovitz, an associate professor of advertising at Boston University. “We couldn’t pretend it didn’t happen.”Ĭlever marketing has helped Volkswagen as far back as 1959, when its “Think Small” campaign - a contrast with the hard-sell tactics of the day from Julian Koenig of the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency - was as minimalist as the Beetle it was promoting. “We wouldn’t be capable of telling that story without first having this moment to clear the air, to make the pivot,” Mr. This is the reassessment of the brand, of the company, and how we want to move forward.” “For us, this wasn’t about the apology - we’ve been doing that. “We’ve offered thousands of apologies,” said Scott Keogh, who became chief executive of Volkswagen’s American unit in November. With the new marketing push, the company wants to move on from its self-inflicted wounds.
Volkswagen Group was sorry again in March when its chief executive officer, Herbert Diess, posted an apology on LinkedIn after making remarks that echoed the Nazi-era slogan “Arbeit macht frei.” The expression, which means “Work sets you free,” appeared on the gates of Auschwitz and other concentration camps. The company was slammed with criminal charges, lawsuits and billions of dollars in government fines.
The world’s largest automaker has been on something of an apology tour since 2015, when it was publicly accused of using illegal software in its diesel cars to dupe pollution tests. But it’s not exactly saying so in a new ad campaign.