It's a Small World

When I was in school, I was taught this: if you want to sell the cake, show the cake. And, then I was told to break that rule when needed. A great example of this is the comparison of an Edsel ad and a classic DDB Volkswagen ad. The Edsel ad, while trying hard, is, well, stupid. It shows the Edsel, tells us some nice information, and begs us to buy one. The 1961 Volkswagen ad confidently sends the message that “you’re cool enough to get it.” It’s the same tactic that Starbucks uses when it makes cups with only an icon, or creates a faux language for the sizes of the cups. This lets us feel that we’re part of a special group, and we “get it” because we know what venti (Gigantic and will make you shake) means.

I’ve heard people argue about “intelligent design” and evolution. The Volkswagen ads prove that evolution is not true. If it were, then car ads would now be even better. But alas, they look more like the Edsel ad than VW. I don’t really understand the “intelligent design” idea. The Volkswagen ads are intelligent and they are designed. This must what they mean when they talk about intelligent design.