8 - Consumer Behavior

"Sold to the United States in a brilliant ‘Think Small’ advertising campaign launched in 1959 and devised by the New York agency Doyle Dane Bernbach, the Beetle became the biggest selling foreign-made car in America throughout the ’60s.“ according to BBC’s article“The VW Beetle: How Hitler’s idea became a design icon“ by Jonathan Glancey. 

I can only imagine that no one actually believed in the fact that a Nazi car can be sold in America just after WW2 ended in 1945. And thats why this story is so interesting to me. In general, VW is not a brand that failed at any point but the story of this german car becoming this popular with a 

A big part of consumer behavior is the influence on the consumer through either external or internal factors. External factors in the case of VW after 1945 could be that it forms association with Hitler, Nazis and the death of millions of jewish people. A pretty negative association. Furthermore we look at internal factors which could be the desire of owning a car in general or the desire of owning a car which was trendy at that time: Long limousines, big elegant cars. 

So if its not for the efficiency it looks pretty bad trying to sell a little VW car in America. 

However, in the mid 60s consumer behavior started to change and advertising campaigns like VW's "Think small" helped out to make the Beetle become the biggest (haha) selling foreign-made car.

It was a combination of a successful Beatles band, the distinct look as well as the quality along with the affordability, reliability and economy and the desire for something new and different and, finally, one of the best works that advertisers created that made this car so popular.