VOLKSWAGEN | Funeral | 1969
The Best Ad Born From the 'Worst Idea' / Volkswagen "Funeral"
In 1969, there was one thing advertising simply didn't touch: death. Everyone avoided that third rail — DDB walked right onto it.
The problem
In the late 1960s in America, Volkswagen carried a triple burden: it was small, it was cheap, and it was German. This was an era when big Cadillacs and Rolls-Royces reigned as status symbols. DDB, led by Bill Bernbach, had already pulled off the "Think Small" campaign for the Beetle, but this time the brief was simple: communicate the cost-savings of owning a Volkswagen.
The insight
Art director Roy Grace and copywriter John Noble took a paradoxical approach: instead of searching for the best idea, they searched for the worst one. What's the worst possible situation to advertise a car in? A funeral, they decided. Roy Grace reportedly got the idea from watching a funeral procession of cars. By deliberately aiming for "the worst," they freed their minds from fear and pressure and let creativity flow. Right before the presentation, the client's brother passed away — and yet the client approved the idea on the spot, saying this kind of honesty was exactly what was needed.
The idea
A dead millionaire looks down on his own funeral procession as his will is read aloud. His spendthrift wife and sons, riding in Cadillacs and Rolls-Royces, each get a small sum of pocket change. But his nephew Harold, modestly driving a Beetle, inherits the man's entire fortune of $100 billion. The spot was directed by Howard Zieff, known as "the king of the 60-second comedy." The visual contrast between the long line of luxury cars and the small black Beetle bringing up the rear is striking. The narration lasts only about ten seconds, leaving the rest of the 60 seconds to silence and irony. It was a kind of "anti-advertising" that won people over not with grand claims, but with self-deprecation and honesty.
What happened
The commercial became known as the first American TV ad to deal with death and funerals, and it turned into a genuine cultural "water cooler moment." Annual sales of the VW Beetle climbed past 420,000 units, peaking at 570,000 in 1970. In viewer surveys, 68% said the ad improved their perception of the Beetle's reliability. The ad is still remembered as one of the greatest TV spots in advertising history, held up again and again by outlets like Advertising Age as a symbol of Bill Bernbach's creative revolution.
Afterthought
I don't know another ad that portrays the idea of "cash is king" so beautifully, so wryly, and so honestly. Breaking the rules, embracing irreverence, and above all, trusting the audience's intelligence — the philosophy Bill Bernbach left behind still hasn't aged a bit. The courage and the delicacy it takes to turn a funeral into something funny... that's the kind of bear I want to be.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 1969
