Bet you didn’t know who founded Volkswagen.
Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company and gave us the Model T.
And the amazing assembly line.
Kiichiro Toyoda founded Toyota and gave us the legendary Toyota Supra!
Which of course led to the beloved Paul Walker and Tokyo Drift.
Elon Musk founded Tesla and gave us beautiful electric cars.
Which naturally Gen Z took to mine cryptocurrencies in their garages.
Guess who founded Volkswagen.
If you know, I am surprised.
If you don’t know, read on.
The original operator of Volkswagen is the German Labour Front.
The German Labour Front, in 1937, was under the control of Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party.
Hitler wanted to build a “people’s car” that is speedy and costs under $140.
To be honest, it was a noble goal.
A noble goal, for his people, at that point of time in history, before the war.
He declared it at his rallies and was a firm believer in the power of the automobile.
Then the war came and Volkswagen’s production died.
Despite a tainted history and everyone hating on the brand, they still managed a surprising comeback.
They did with the help of powerful, head-on marketing.
It was none other than Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), that launched a ground-breaking marketing campaign for the Volkswagen Beetle, that saved Volkswagen.
It was the ad that changed advertising.
It was so interesting, I have to cover it next time.
The campaign worked so brilliantly, Volkswagen even overtook the longstanding worldwide production record of 15 million vehicles, set by Ford Motor Company’s legendary Model T between 1908 and 1927.
Talk about a comeback.
Fast forward to today, the Volkswagen Group currently owns 10 brands from 5 European countries: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, ŠKODA, SEAT, CUPRA, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche and Ducati.
You gotta respect the hustle.
And yes, you can’t rewrite your past, but you sure can construct your future.
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Did you know who founded Volkswagen?
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