Volkswagen Beetle “Ugly” Ad

This classic campaign for the VW Beetle always poked fun at how “ugly” the car was, but then retorted with how practical it is in the copy.

The VW ad reminds me of a classic Joe Sugarman ad where he openly bashes a thermostat he used to sell by saying “It had no digital readout, an ugly case and a stupid name. It almost made us sick.”

The fact that he was so honest about the downsides of the product, made people believe him about the many upsides of the product.