I Heart My Thing
Posted by Jaci Russo
My first car was a Volkswagen Thing. It was bright yellow with a small rip in the black top and a radio that rested on a shelf in the dash. The passenger would have to grab it before it flew out of the car if I turned a corner too quickly.
The doors came off, like a real Jeep, and it could be hosed off, inside and out, when it got dirty. I was a senior in high school and it was awesome. I felt like this car really defined me. Although I was a high school debater in Louisiana, the car made me feel like a surfer chick in Malibu.
Also, it didn’t look like everyone else’s Honda or Toyota. My car was different. It was a conversation starter. In my mind, I pictured my life playing out like the plot of a John Hughes movie and my VW Thing went a long way towards connecting me to Molly Ringwald and her Karmann Ghia in “Pretty in Pink”.
Mostly, owning a Thing put me in a cool club - which my weekends spent as a debater did not qualify for admittance to that club no matter how many trophies I won. Although we weren’t a majority, or in spite of it, VW drivers recognized each other with a smile and slight head nod. We knew we were special.
Imagine my distress when I read Ad Age recently to discover that VW is looking for a new agency to evolve into a more mainstream choice. ”…inspire our base of enthusiasts”, Tim Ellis VW VP of marketing, (Ad Age 8/31/09),”… reach out and captivate those in mainstream America.”
What?!
VW isn’t mainstream. This is the company with the iconic Lemon ad campaign.
How could a company that gave us the “Think Small” campaign even think about going ‘mainstream’.
Consumers are drawn to a product because it is different. It is unique. We like things that are decidedly not mainstream.
Why VW, why?
Don’t do it. Don’t appeal to everyone. Don’t be all things to all people. Don’t make everyone happy.
Be different.
Be VW.
Bring back The Thing.
Please.
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