Pop focus: Classic VW ads

Remember playing "slug bug" on road trips and getting a really sore arm?

Volkswagen sold a zillion Beetles during the 1960s and 70s due, in part, to a brilliant advertising campaign that used minimal copy, simple photos and a healthy dose of self-deprecation that actually highlighted the strengths of the car.

Yes, it looks goofy. Even ugly, maybe. It's little. The engine is in the back. But it's also cute, simple, inexpensive, practical, dependable and will get you were you want to go.

A lot of those cars are still on the road, too. Beetles are hard to kill. Many of us have fond memories of a Beetle as our first car, or the one our parents let us use to putter around town. Or of road trips and camping trips in a VW bus. The bubbling sound of that air-cooled engine brings back a lot of memories.

Here's a look at some of the ads that got VW rolling: