In this weekly Throwback Thursday series, we surface memorable TV advertising spots from days past – ones that made us laugh, inspired us, or sparked an affinity for a brand.
This past week, towns and cities across New England were hit by record snowfall. In Boston, we were slammed by 40.2 inches of snow in seven days, with more coming on the horizon. The record snowfall has impacted every day life – from workday commutes of gridlocked traffic to malfunctioning subway trains, to closed businesses and of course, school snow days.
To match our snow-weary moods here in Boston, we found a classic wintry Volkswagen spot from 1964. In this memorable commercial, a voice over poses the question, “have you ever wondered how the man who drives the snowplow, drives to the snowplow?” The answer? The ever-reliable Volkswagen Beetle, of course.
Posing a problem as a question is by now a oft-used tactic in creating effective advertising campaigns, but Volkswagen’s ‘Snow Plow’ was one of the earliest and most effective examples of one. Created by DDB New York, the spot went on to win the Cannes Gold later that year, as well as an Advertising Director’s Club (ADC) award.
Do you know of a classic TV spot that you’d like us to write about? Let us know in the comments section below!