If I ran Volkswagen.

At it's "Lemon," "Think Small" best, the best of Volkswagen's 55 years of great advertising did more than sell cars.

The best ads--over the span of decades--sold a company. And they sold that all too rare value--perhaps the rarest value, integrity.

Integrity.

Volkswagen's ads were about cars, yes. But they were great because they exemplified a belief system that was counter to the dominant Detroit complacency.

VW, it's people and its cars were honest. Uncorrupted. Unadorned. They didn't bullshit.

Has all that been lost?

If I were the new CEO of VW I'd do something very simple. I'd buy for everyone of my employees and everyone of my dealers the book, "Remember those great Volkswagen ads." (You can buy it here.)

Companies, like people, lose their way.

They are lured by sex or mammon and make terrible mistakes.

This book could help VW find their center again.

Not bad for $50.