The Nostalgia Boom

To viewers watching the ad for the new Volkswagen Beetle, it is like squinting into the past. A vague image begins as a small circle set against a stark white background. As the picture sharpens, the circle becomes a flower--with seven daffodil-yellow New Beetles as its petals. The cute-as-a-Bug cars drive away, and a zippy black Beetle careens into view and skids to a stop. The tag line: "Less flower. More power."

Welcome back to the '60s--except this time, the revolution will be televised by Madison Avenue. Volkswagen's Flower Power commercial is only the first in a barrage of ads about to hit the airwaves as the German auto maker launches a new and improved version of the venerable Beetle to America after a 20-year absence. Volkswagen's strategy is simple: It plans to sell its back-to-the-future car by wrapping it in the symbols of the not-too-distant past.