Briefly traces the Volkswagen Beetle's history and presents examples of its highly successful magazine and television advertising campaign

Is The Bug Dead? The Great Beetle Ad Campaign

Arts & Photography

Marcantonio, Alfredo

Photography & Video

Stewart. Tabori & Chang

In 1959, Doyle Dane Bernbach, the New York advertising agency, was appointed to handle the Volkswagen account in the USA. The advertisements they produced throughout the sixties and early seventies changed the face of advertising, not just in America, but across the world. 
This book was written by Alfredo Marcantonio, copywriter and one-time Advertising Manager of VWGB Ltd, John O’Driscoll, Art Director of many British Volkswagen ads, and David Abott, an ex-Creative and Managing Director of DDB’s London office. 
Mandatory reading for Beetle lovers and those in advertising alike, this fully illustrated book charts the history of the VW Beetle campaign and brings you the most memorable ads that trace the history of the car. 
This book is a story of the car and its advertising. In a unique way the two were indistinguishable – the charming, honest advertising became part of the charm and honesty of the car. If you ever owned a Beetle, if you’ve ever chuckled at a Volkswagen advertisement, or if you simply appreciate wit and style, you will enjoy this book. It’s the tale of an ugly duckling that became an office pin-up.

Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?

Abbott, David

O'Driscoll, John

Graphic Design

Dakini Books Ltd

The latest addition to Dakini Books titles is 'Well-written and red', the story about The Economist poster campaign that has won prizes and plaudits the world over.. 
Written by one of Britain's most respected advertising copywriters, Alfredo Marcantonio, it celebrates the 15th anniversary of the first appearance of these eye catching and mould breaking 'White out of Red' billboards. 
As an ex-Director of AMV BBDO, the Agency responsible, he paints a remarkably insightful picture, not only of the conception and development of the award-winning creative work, but also of the Agency/Client relationship that has nurtured it. 
Marcantonio weaves together the recollections of those actually involved, putting events into context or stressing their importance, by citing lessons he has learnt in his own distinguished career. 
This is clearly a 'must-have publication' for advertising, marketing and media people. However, poster headlines like 'In real life the tortoise loses' mean that it will appeal to anyone who appreciates wit and style. Indeed, if you have ever wondered how advertising works this book describes the process in engaging detail. 
Readers from outside the industry won't be fazed by the vagaries of the creative process described in this book. Instead, they may be surprised to discover the disciplined strategic thinking and tight advertising briefs that inspire it, and the way subtle shifts in emphasis have helped the campaign remain relevant in changing times. 
This 224 page hardback and features 140 or more of the advertisements that have helped The Economist increase its UK circulation by 65% and its UK ad revenue by 250%. It is a testimony to the power of posters, confirmation that it can pay to advertise and proof that 'funny' need not be the enemy of 'money'.

Well-Written and Red

Business & Money

Thames&Hudson

In the mid-1930s, Stephen Mitchell &amp; Son, a cigarette manufacturer based in Scotland, joined the craze for producing cigarette cards. The firm created 'The World of Tomorrow', an imaginative series of cards that set out to forecast the future. Each of the 50 cards uses a specially commissioned illustration or a still from a contemporary science fiction film to make a significant prediction about the way people will be living in years to come: the transport they will be using; the houses they will be building; the offices in which they will be working; and the modes of communication and sources of energy they will be employing. What is astounding, some 70 years on, is the extent to which these often amusing predictions have come true. This novel gift book reproduces all 50 cards and juxtaposes them with a photograph of today's equivalent technology, proving just how amazingly accurate the original predictions were. It brings together 50 fascinating predictions of the future made in the mid-1930s, from space travel to the advent of e-mail. It is a highly original gift book for readers of all ages. It is engagingly written by a leading creative director, whose work in the field of advertising has won him numerous awards.

Prophets of Zoom

Reference

Merrell Publishers

The revolutionary Volkswagen advertising campaign of the 1960s and 70s is universally acknowledged to be the greatest and most influential ever created and was acclaimed as the campaign of the century” in the Millennium editions of Time Magazine and the US ad industry bible Advertising Age. Remember those great Volkswagen ads? is the only comprehensive review of this definitive ad campaign. It features a brief history of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle, followed by an account of the birth of the campaign at US ad agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB). This much enlarged and updated edition is illustrated with over 450 reproductions of press advertisements and TV commercial storyboards primarily featuring the VW Beetle, but also the Van, Bus and Camper, the Karmann Ghia and finally the VW Fastback and Squareback vehicles. Also included is a new section devoted to the billboards created by DDB in Los Angeles, as well as some of the ads created by their offices in Europe.

Remember those great Volkswagen ads?

It is now 18 years since The Economist ran the first of its eye-catching 'White out of Red' posters. As this book points out, their 'vibrancy and visibility' have now established them as 'part of the urban landscape'. Well-written and Red is the story of this influential advertising campaign, written by one of Britain's most respected advertising copywriters, Alfredo Marcantonio. As an ex-Director of AMV BBDO he paints a remarkably insightful picture, not only of the conception and development of the award-winning creative work, but also of the Agency/Client relationship that has nurtured it. Marcantonio weaves together the recollections of those actually involved, putting events into context or stressing their importance, by citing lessons he has learnt in his own distinguished career. This is clearly a 'must-have publication' for advertising, marketing and the media. However, poster headlines like 'In real life the tortoise loses' mean that it will appeal to anyone who appreciates wit and style. Whilst readers from outside the industry won't be fazed by the vagaries of the creative process, they may be surprised to discover the disciplined strategic thinking and tight advertising briefs that inspire it. And the way that subtle shifts in emphasis have helped the campaign remain relevant in changing times. This 256 page volume features almost 200 of the advertisements that have helped The Economist increase its UK circulation from just over 80,000 in 1987 to almost 160,000 today. It represents a testimony to the power of posters, confirmation that it can pay to advertise and proof that 'funny' need not be the enemy of 'money'.

Well-written and red: The continuing story of The Economist poster campaign

Industries

Harriman House

""Remember those great Volkswagen Ads?"" looks briefly at the birth of the car, as well as the campaign. And features over 250 of the award winning press advertisements and TV commercials that DDB produced. The ads went on to make VW's Beetle a bestseller and have done a similar job for this book. All three earlier editions sold out and copies became something of a collectors' item. This new edition includes additional archive material, including photographs of the key players. This beautifully produced hardback contains 216 pages, almost 50 of them in colour, featuring more than 300 illustrations. It has become essential reading for advertising practioners and car buffs everywhere.

Marketing & Sales

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Marcantonio, Alfredo. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Marcantonio, Alfredo

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Marcantonio, Alfredo. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Is The Bug Dead? The Great Beetle Ad Campaign

Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?

Well-Written and Red

Prophets of Zoom

Remember those great Volkswagen ads?

Well-written and red: The continuing story of The Economist poster campaign

Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?